Lunatic Sanity
by AnimalloversInc
Summary: After a trauma, Tasha turns to the only people she can think of for help. What does she do when she ends up falling for her ex's former best friend? Can the 'Lunatic Fringe' be her sanity? Smut included, also mentions group rape and assault. Please feel free to Read and Review, always love constructive feedback.
1. Prologue

_**Author's Note:**_ I do not own any of the people in this story except for my original characters. They own themselves. I am not making any money off this story, so don't bother sue me.

_**Prologue**_:

Tasha had come to surprise her boyfriend of 5 years, Colby. Colby had finally made it to the main roster of the WWE and had recently won the Money in the Bank match, guaranteeing him a title shot. She had exciting news, their house had finally sold and they would finally be able to do what they had been talking about – Tasha coming out on the road with him. She was excited; it meant she would be able to spend more time with him. She also thought maybe this would mean he might pop the question soon. They had met in high school and been together ever since. She had called the main office to find out what hotel he'd be staying at during their stop in Green Bay, WI. Tasha had been upset to hear that Colby and his former teammates in the Shield weren't really talking since the group disbanded. She really liked Jon and Joe. Colby had told her that his former friends were jealous of his success and were being asses. She didn't think that sounded like them, but success does do strange thing to people. She knocked on the door to the suite that the Authority was sharing. Colby answered the door and couldn't believe what he saw. "What are _you_ doing here?" He said to his girlfriend. He closed the door behind him a little; there was clearly a party going on in the suite.

Tasha wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him. "Surprise! I came out to see you and spend a few days with you. I also have great news! I'm so happy to see you, Colby. I've really missed you." Her first hint should have been the short kiss he returned, but she was just so happy to be with him.

"You should have called; I could have saved you the trip out, but hey since you're here. Look. This, 'us', isn't working anymore. I mean come on; I'm a WWE superstar now. I've got a title shot coming to me. I've got women throwing themselves at me now. Women that are…well…hotter than you; we had a good thing. I just think I can do much better now. So why don't we just end things and no hard feelings." Colby didn't show any emotion at all, he didn't even seem upset about ending their relationship. Even as Tasha started to cry, his face just read annoyance.

"Wait. You're breaking up with me? Colby, you can't mean that! We've been together for 5 years!" Tasha sobbed in the hallway. What the hell was happening? How did this happy day go so wrong, so quickly? Colby gave her a dismissive look and tried to go back into the hotel suite. Tasha grabbed his arm, "We need to talk about this, Please!" She was shocked when he pulled her forcefully into the room and she received what would be the first of many backhands to her face. She couldn't believe what was happening. He had never even raised his voice at her before today. Why weren't any of these people in the room helping her? They just watched as screamed obscenities, calling her "Slut" and "Bitch" asking why she couldn't take the hint that he didn't want her anymore. Tasha lost track of how much time was actually elapsing as the beating continued. Punches, kicks to her ribs; she knew her face was bleeding, she could taste the blood. Her right eye stung; and the wind had been kicked out of her several times. Mercifully, it reached a point when Tasha felt like she was outside her own body; a bystander watching what was going on. Everything hurt so much it was hard for her to pin point any part of her that didn't throb in pain. The attack stopped for a moment and Tasha thought he'd finally let her leave; if she could manage to leave on her own. It only took seconds to realize it wasn't over; it was going to get worse! What happened from there; she only saw flashes and blips, the event so traumatic that her brain kicked in to protect her. Hands everywhere; complete strangers; laughing and cheering. All the while her mind just screaming; "WHY?" Finally, as the last man climbed off her, Tasha felt her clothes being thrown at her. A once loving voice now filled with hatred, "Get out of here slut! Don't even think of reporting this to the cops; I have powerful people in my corner now!"

Tasha managed to put her clothes back on for the most part; what she couldn't she shoved into her purse. Barely able to stand much less walk; she grabbed her long coat and wrapped it around herself as she stumbled down the hallway. Her mind racing; where was she going to go? She took her cell phone out and dialed her friend Natalya. "Nattie, it's Tasha. Yeah, it has been a little while. Listen, you don't happen to know where Jon and Joe are staying do you." Tasha tried to keep her voice from shaking and she got the information she needed. "No. Everything is fine, I just saw they took a beating the other night and wanted to go say hi. Um…sure, maybe we can get together; I'll see what our schedule looks like and call you. Thanks, Nattie." Tasha hung up and got to her car without anyone noticing the shape she was in. She headed for the Hilton that was 3 minutes away and prayed Jon would be at the room. She arrived at the hotel and realized she'd have to go through the lobby. She knew the coat would cover the injuries to her body; but how to cover her face. After a few minutes of trying to focus, she remembered the sun hat she had in her back seat from vacation. That was big and should cover her face as long as she looked down. She put it on and made her way inside. It was a struggle at this point to walk; walking straight was even more difficult. She weakly hit the button to the elevator and went upstairs. She had to hold onto the wall going down the hallway; she was in bad shape and knew it. Just a little further; one step at a time, she knocked on the suite door and silently prayed. She had never been so relieved in her life, then when Jon opened the suite door.

At first, Jon didn't recognize the oddly dressed woman at the door. It wasn't until she said his name that he realized it was Tasha. "Hey! I didn't know you were coming to town; not that Colby would tell Joe and I shit anyways. Ok…I give, what's up with the floppy hat?" Jon laughed as he grabbed the hat off her head. He laughed right up until she looked up at him. "SHIT! What the hell happened Tasha?" He was just about to question her more; but he saw her going down. Catching her before she hit the floor, he yelled for his friend, "Joe…Joe I need some help! It's Tasha!" Joe came out of his room to see what all the yelling was for and he spotted his friend holding up the semi-unconscious body of the woman who had become like a younger sister to him.

"What the hell?" Joe ran to help his friend carry Tasha to Jon's bed. Her face bloody and bruised; taking off the jacket revealed the bruising on her arms and legs. "We need to call Colby and tell him what's happened!" He was about to leave the bedside when a hand grabbed his arm. It was Tasha, grabbing at him for dear life.

"No Colby!" Tasha managed to whisper right before passing out.


	2. She's Awake

The two men quickly tried to assess Tasha's injuries. "She's definitely got at least bruised ribs, if they aren't broken." Joe said to his friend. "I really think we should call Colby, and I know what you're going to say. Tasha said not to call him, but Christ; it's his girlfriend. If my girlfriend was beaten this badly and someone didn't call me I would be seriously pissed off." Between the two of them, they had agreed to call the hotel doctor. They gave him some bad story about a bar fight, and how they managed to get her back to the hotel before she passed out from the drinking. It was clear by his facial expressions that the doctor did not believe the story at all; probably because she didn't reek of alcohol. He got her cleaned up, gave the two men prescriptions to fill when she was able and suggested strongly that they get her to an emergency room. They were fortunate, the doctor should have called the cops assuming the girl was assaulted; perhaps by the two men with her now. They must have looked decent enough; either that or the cops would be showing up to ask questions they had no answers to. Joe ran his hands through his long, black hair and blew out a breath. "I'm calling Colby!"

Joe went to the other room; if she woke up, he didn't want her to be angry that he had called. The phone rang several times before the man he was trying to reach answered. "Colby, it's Joe. Before you go off on me; Tasha is here. She's in bad shape man; someone beat the hell out of her." He tried to get it all out before his former friend could start snapping at him. The friendship had deteriorated fast after Colby decided to join the Authority. He had become a real prick to both Jon and Joe.

"I broke things off with her; she's not my problem anymore. She went to you two, she's yours. I'm done with her; and I don't know what she told you two, but she got violent with me first. You know women; they get upset, they start swinging. I was just trying to defend myself." The cocky voice on the other end offered his version of things.

Joe couldn't believe what he was hearing. Colby did that to her? He didn't want to believe that, but there he was on the other end of the phone trying to make it sound like this 120lb. woman went berserk and started beating him! There's no way in hell that's what happened. Joe got a sick feeling in his stomach as he realized why Tasha didn't want anyone to call Colby. Colby was the one responsible. "Son of a Bitch! You beat her up? She barely made it to our room, asshole! We're going to make sure she presses charges; you aren't going to get away with this man! Watch your back to; cause if Jon or I see you around, we'll return the favor you gave to her!" Joe slammed down the phone, swearing up a storm. He wanted to drive to that hotel and beat the shit out of that punk right now; but he decided his first concern should be Tasha. He walked back to Jon's bedroom; wearing the anger like a mask.

"So, Colby is on his way or something?" Jon asked noticing the sudden change in mood. "What? Seriously Joe, I don't read minds…spill it already!"

"Colby said she was 'our problem'; that he spilt with her this morning. He also added that 'She got violent with him first' and he was 'just trying to defend himself'. That's why she said not to call him. It's because he's the one that beat her! Can you believe that? He did 'this' to her!" Joe was fuming, but it wasn't anything compared to the rage that he could see exploding on the face of his friend.

"I'm going over there, I'm grabbing him by the lapel of his fancy designer suit and I'm going to push him out the god damn window! He's dead! You may as well call a lawyer for me now, cause I'm getting charged with murder tonight!" Jon was beyond crazed; he couldn't believe anyone, let alone his former best friend would hurt a woman. Jon who had earned the nickname the "Lunatic Fringe" in the WWE, mostly because he wasn't afraid of doing crazy stuff or hurting himself; made up his mind right then, that no one was going to hurt Tasha anymore. Even if that meant he needed to be with her every waking second. The battered, bruised and weak looking woman lying on his bed was now his top priority; his second was making Colby pay for this.

"No one is getting charged with murder; at least not tonight. Trust me, I want him bleeding to; but Tasha needs us here, more than she needs us in jail. I'm going to run to the pharmacy and get these prescriptions filled, the doctor said she would be in pain when she woke up; and the antibiotic isn't a bad thing either, considering all the cuts. I'll grab some bandages and first aid supplies while I'm there; hopefully we can convince her to go to the hospital. Guess I should probably get food to; not like we can keep ordering room service for her, and we do have that full-size refrigerator and kitchenette in this place." Joe started making a mental list of everything they might need, glad that they had a few days here in this town before having to head to the next one. It would give her time to at least feel a little better before travelling and maybe a chance to see a doctor and be checked out.

Joe had gone and come back from the shopping excursion; he was currently sitting in the living room. Jon however had been plastered to a chair next to his bed. It seemed like he had been there for hours; watching her chest rise up and down, waiting for her to wake up. He must have been lightly dozing; because it was the sound of a pained cough that jerked him to attention again. He leaned closer to the bed; trying to see if her eyes were open or not. He didn't want to just flip on the bedside table light without warning her first. He had suffered enough swollen eyes to know that squinting after being hit with light hurt like hell. She turned her head towards him and flinched. "Jon?"

"Yeah, don't try and move too much. I know it must hurt. I want to turn on the light, but you might want to close your eyes for a minute first." He really wanted to yell for Joe and tell him she was awake, but he doubted she would enjoy him screaming in her ear right now. He'd go and tell him as soon as she was comfortable. As soon as he knew she had shut her eyes, he turned the light on to its lowest setting. "Alright Tasha, open them slowly, let yourself adjust to the light." He instructed softly. He couldn't stand it, her face was so swollen and bruised; if it hadn't been for her hair and what little bit of her brilliant blue eyes he could see, he never would have known it was her. "I know this is a stupid question; and trust me; I really do know, but are you in a lot of pain Tasha?"

"Everything hurts; it's really bad isn't it?" She questioned him. Just looking in his eyes she could tell it was. Tasha made an attempt to re-adjust herself in bed, just to cry out in such pain that it made her stomach roll.

"You took a pretty severe beating; I imagine you look like I did some nights back when I was in the independents. So it's bad. We had the hospital doctor come look at you. Please don't move sweetheart; it's best if you just try to be still. The doctor has prescribed some pain meds for you; Joe ran out and got it filled. Let me go get you one and some water, ok?" He waited until he saw her move her head 'yes' before leaving the room. He tapped Joe on the shoulder on his way past. "She just woke up, if you want to come in with us. I'm just going to get her a pain pill and some water. She can barely move without flinching." Grabbing the few things he went in search for he followed Joe back into his bedroom.

"Hey there; you had the two of us big, strong guys worried about you! You know how hard it is for 'Mr. Unstable' here to settle on just one emotion." Joe joked with her, sitting down in the second chair they had pulled up to the bed. "We're really happy you came here Tasha. We'll take care of you; don't worry about anything." He paused long enough for Jon to help her take the pain pill and swallow some water. "The hotel doctor thinks it would be a good idea to get you to the hospital Hun. I can't say I disagree. Jon and I are pretty good at tending to injuries by now; but who knows if you have any internal stuff we can't see. You wouldn't have to move much; I'm strong enough to carry you. I think we can trust Jon enough to drive us there, or maybe we should just call the ambulance."

Tasha really wanted to say 'No' to going to the hospital, but Joe made a good point about internal injuries. She also knew there was the "other" injuries that she didn't want either of them to know about; but she was clear headed enough to know she needed to be examined and get tested for things. That was another whole horror she wasn't sure she was ready to deal with; but it was important. "Ok. You can take me. No ambulance. It's not a big deal." She was almost mumbling but she knew they understood what she was saying. She just wanted it all to be over; like waking up from a bad dream. Tasha knew the hospital staff couldn't tell either man about the gang rape, and since she guessed the hospital would have to call the cops; she decided to tell them she didn't remember anything. She definitely remembered the warning Colby had screamed at her as she was staggering away; she couldn't press charges. Tasha mentally prepared herself for the trip and the hours she would most likely spend in the hospital being checked out; while Jon and Joe discussed the best way to get her there.


	3. Hospitals and Scrambled Eggs

Roman carefully carried Tasha to the SUV Jon had rented; laying her carefully down in the backseat. They both got into the front and headed to the hospital. The trip wasn't bad for Tasha because the pain medicine had kicked in. They pulled up in front of the emergency room and Roman carried her in. The staff at the hospital upon seeing the very large, muscular man carrying a beaten young lady got Tasha into an exam room quickly. The nurse sent Jon and Joe out to the waiting room so that Tasha could change into a gown. Tasha took the nurse's hand before she could leave the room. "I'm not sure; but I think I was raped." Her tears started to fall again; the nurse assured her it would be ok. She came closer to Tasha.

"Was it one of those guys that brought you in?" The nurse started taking vitals. "If it was and you don't feel safe, we can have security take them out of the hospital."

"No...No…it wasn't either of them. They are friends; I went to them for help after I was attacked. I don't remember the attack, except that there were a few of them." Tasha refused to give any information other than that. The nurse nodded and left. The doctor was the next person into the room. He examined her with the nurse's help.

"We're going to have to collect a rape kit and take some pictures. I promise we'll be as quick as we can and try to keep you as comfortable as we can during the process ok?" The doctor was very polite and the nurse was very calming. After an hour of various X-rays, CT scans, the rape kit; some blood tests and finally talking to the police, they let her sign the paperwork to be released. Her ribs were bruised; bruises and cuts on her legs, arms and face; and she did show signs of being sexually assaulted. Luckily there was no internal bleeding or injuries. They gave her the morning after pill while Jon and Joe were still outside in the waiting room. She was relieved she at least wouldn't have to worry about a pregnancy.

Jon and Joe wheeled a wheelchair in for her, "You ready to get out of here sweetheart?" Jon asked. They helped her into the chair. "Come on, we'll take you back to the hotel and fix you a meal, you must be starving by now." They managed to get her back to the hotel in one piece and Roman helped her walk to the room. "You're taking my room Tasha. I'll be fine out here on the couch."

"Jon, I'm not taking your room. I can sleep on the couch." Tasha responded wearily. "You both have done so much already; I'm not going to kick you out of your room."

Jon laughed, "I hate to tell you this, but I've slept in worse places than that couch. Now, I'm not opposed to sharing the bed with you Tasha, but I'm thinking you'd feel better if you didn't live in constant fear that I might roll over hurt you. So, I'll sleep on this nice cushy sofa; and you'll sleep in my bedroom. Ok! I'm going to go make you something to eat." Jon walked away so she couldn't argue with him anymore. Joe just smiled.

"Not worth arguing with him about it Tasha, you might as well just accept our help. You either take his room or you take mine." He leaned closer to her and whispered, "Let's face it, he's shorter than me, the couch is more his size." Tasha couldn't help but laugh; even if it hurt as Joe mad fun of Jon.

"I heard that! Just because you're taller doesn't mean I can't kick your ass!" Jon yelled from the kitchenette. She could hear him in there mumbling.

"Is it safe for him to be cooking in there? Can he even cook? I've been through enough without there being a fire in the hotel, Jon!" She managed to yell in to him with a slight chuckle.

"Oh look at you! A comedian! Must be the pain meds; cause I don't remember you ever being that funny!" Jon peaked around the corner and grinned at her. It was nice to joke around with friends; for a moment she forgot what had happened to her and she felt normal. A few minutes later Jon emerged from the kitchenette with three plates of scrambled eggs and some unfortunate looking burnt toast. "Don't say a single word!" Jon warned the two of them. They both smiled at Jon but never said a word.

Tasha had been hungry, managing to eat all of the scrambled eggs and at least a few bites of the burnt toast. Once she was done eating, Tasha felt the stress and the events of the day were wearing on her. "I'm sorry guys; I need a pain pill and to try and get some sleep. Do you mind?" Tasha hated to bale on them.

Jon ran and got the bottle of pain medicine, putting one in front of her with a glass of water. "Of course we don't mind Tasha! God, you've had a lot of shit happen to you today. You need help getting into bed?" Both he and Roman were up and ready to help her; hovering. It was sweet, especially when she knew they weren't sure exactly how they could help her.

"No guys; I'm fine, really. Good night Jon, thank you for letting me have your room." She went over and kissed him on the cheek. "Good night Joe, thank you for carrying me downstairs and into the hospital." She went over and kissed his cheek also. She looked at both of the men and smiled before making her way into the bedroom and closing the door. She gingerly climbed into bed and as she laid there she thought about Colby and what he had done. How she had sold her house to be with him and now she had no place to go. Tears started to fall and Tasha cried herself to sleep.


	4. They Know!

Tasha finally had fallen asleep; at one point after she had gone into the bedroom Jon had poked his head in to check on her and heard her sobbing quietly. Why wouldn't she be crying after everything that happened? Her boyfriend beat the shit out of her and then tossed her out like garbage to fend for herself. Just thinking about it made Jon even angrier; he quietly shut the door and headed back out to join Joe in the living. "She's in there crying herself to sleep. If he wanted her gone, why not just break things off? Why did he have to go the extra step and beat her? I don't understand it."

"Neither do I, clearly none of us knew Colby as much as we thought we did. Any man who would do that to a woman; he's no man, he's a damn coward. I really don't think we should tell her we spoke to him, why upset her more than she is, right? She doesn't need to know that on top of everything; he's trying to blame her for this. That just seems cruel." Joe looked at his friend.

"Nah, you're right. She doesn't need to know about that. Besides, she's just going to yell at you for calling him after she said not to anyways. I'd hate to see you on the end of that." Jon chuckled. "I figure, if she wants us to know what happened, I mean the specifics, she'll tell us. It's just bullshit; why beat up someone who can't defend herself? Why not take it out on someone in the ring; at least all of us are used to taking the abuse." He raked his hands through his short, light brown hair. He watched Joe get up.

"I don't know; I do know it's turned into a really long day. I think I'm going to turn in for the night. You need a pillow or blanket?" Joe stretched his long, arms over his head.

"I'm good man; like I told Tasha, I've slept in worst places. Night." Jon waited until Joe had closed the door to his room before shutting out the living room light and getting comfortable on the couch. He tried to sleep, he really wanted to sleep. He just laid there for a while; then decided to go sit in the chair next to the bed Tasha was in. He slipped in quietly so he wouldn't wake her and slouched down in the chair. He felt better being closer to her and soon fell asleep.

"NO! Please…Please Get Off Me! Stop! Colby…Please! AWWWW!" Tasha screamed in her sleep; trying to fight off her invisible attacker, thrashing around in the covers. She was fighting for her life. Sobbing and begging for it to stop. It startled her awake when she felt the strong arms wrap around her and a familiar voice telling her to wake up. Her heart was pounding; which just reminded her how much she hurt. Shaking uncontrollably, Tasha truly felt the only thing keeping her in one place was the strong arms surrounding her. She opened her eyes to find Jon; sitting on the side of the bed, holding her. She immediately buried her face in the crook of his neck; sobbed and held on for dear life.

Jon hadn't been expecting her to cling to him the way she was. He hadn't let anyone be that close to him; unless he was in a match. It was unfamiliar; but somehow comforting to him also. He could feel how fast her heart was beating against his chest. "Shhh…It's ok; just a dream, it was just a bad dream. I'm right here Tasha. Cry and get it all out Hun. I won't let go of you and he can't hurt you now." Jon soothed the terrified woman in his arms. He wasn't use to this either; taking care of someone other than himself. He never stayed with anyone long enough to form any kind of attachment to them. He had friends like Joe and a few of the other guys on the roster; but no other relationships. It was easier that way. If you didn't have attachments; you didn't have to deal with the pain of them taking off on you later. There was just something instinctive about taking care of Tasha; he knew all too well what it was like to have the feeling of safety ripped out from underneath you. She certainly was at that point now. He hated it; why her? She had never done anything to anyone; he doubted she would ever hurt anyone. _Yeah, but shitty things happen to good people all the time! Did you deserve the shitty things that happened to you?_ He knew the answer was no; yet, he felt deep down that he was somehow better equipped to deal with those shitty things. Hell, it had led him to follow his dreams. He only hoped that when Tasha was able to heal both physically and mentally; that she too would be able to find a positive somewhere.

"Please don't let go of me, Jon! It feels like you're the only thing holding me together." Still trembling; but taking long slow deep breathes, Tasha felt like she was coming undone. Everything she had was gone; she had some family, but they were just going to lecture her about how they warned her about Colby when she started seeing him. Her parents never liked him; they couldn't ever say specifically why he didn't sit well with them, but they just had a feeling he was bad news. Tasha took their warning with a grain of salt. Figuring there wouldn't be anyone they would consider good enough to date their daughter. She was glad she hadn't had the chance to tell Colby about selling the house; at least that money was hers and he wouldn't be asking for any. Maybe she could afford a smaller apartment with the money she got off the sale. Now that it was just her; she wouldn't need such a big place. _It's just you now!_ Is the only thought she kept repeating and that just made her cry harder on Jon's shoulder. After all, who would want to be with a woman who was broken now? Broken was a good description; she felt broken, broken into a million little pieces.

"I'm not going anywhere; I'm afraid you're stuck with me for the long haul now. Your own lunatic stalker; following you wherever you go to make sure you're ok. Sorry Hun…actually…I'm not sorry. I'm sorry Joe or I weren't there; we would have both beaten Colby's ass together before he laid his hands on you!" Jon cringed; knowing he had just done the complete opposite of what he agreed with Joe to do. Now she would know that they knew it was Colby who had done this.

"Oh god! You talked to him? What did he say?" Tasha wanted to crawl into a deep, dark hole and never come out again. What if Colby had told them about the rape and they were just trying to be polite about it? What if they thought the short dress she had been wearing meant she was asking for it? A thousand horrifying and mortifying thoughts played out in her brain. She wanted to be mad at them; she remembered telling them not to call him. _Oh god! What if Colby thinks I told them? He knows where I am now!_ This was the worst 24 hours of her life and it just seemed to spin further out of control every minute.

"I'm sorry Hun; Joe called him. We both agreed that if you were our girlfriend, we would want to know you had been hurt. We weren't going to tell you; but apparently I have a mouth bigger than my brain! You don't need to know what he said Hun. Joe and I; we don't believe any of the shit he said. You're not that type of girl." Jon tried to calm her down again.

"Not that type of girl? Oh my god! What the hell did he say?" Tasha was truly mortified now. She pushed against Jon's chest until he let go. Looking him in eye and she saw the pity there. _They do know; and they are just being so nice to me because they don't know how else to act around me._ "Did he say I was a 'Slut' and a 'Whore'? Is that what he told you? That I was never good enough for him? He certainly made sure to tell me that!" Her embarrassment turned to anger; anger not at the people who had violated her; but at the person she felt was now sitting here judging her.

"Whoa! He said those things to you? Guess he was at least smart enough to leave that part out with Joe! He just made some weak excuse that when he broke up with you; you swung at him first and supposedly he felt threatened and beat you up in self-defense. Joe and I know that it's bullshit, Tasha. One look at you and that story doesn't add up. If he had to beat you this badly to keep you off him; you must have gotten super human strength and been swinging at him like a crazy woman! Self-defense might have been one hit and maybe pushing you out the door; but not this. Don't worry about what he said you; you were always too good for him, he'll never find any woman who would treat him the way you did. As far as I know you never slept around on him; so I don't know why he stooped to calling you those names. He's an ass! Plain and simple, consider yourself lucky to be done with him. Just calm down; we're on your side. Like I said; you're stuck with me, and you can push me away as much as you want. If you need to; hit me, slap me, whatever you need. I can take all of that from you; in fact, that would probably be more normal for me than trying to comfort you. I'm not use to that; but I'll do my best for you Tasha." Jon laid it out for her; he was going to stumble through this with her and even though he was going to fuck stuff up, he'd do his best for her.


	5. Do Lunatics Cuddle

Tasha realized Jon and Joe only knew about the beating; or at least as far as he was letting on. "I'm sorry Jon; I didn't mean to get angry at you, I know it's not you. You and Joe have been great; I'm not sure what I'm going to do without you two when I leave to go back. Actually, I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I go back." Tasha let out frustrated sigh.

"What do you mean sweetheart? First, who said we were letting you leave? Secondly, if we did, why wouldn't you just go back to your house?" Jon put his arms around her again.

"Colby and I had been talking about me selling the house, so I could come on the road with him. I came here for a surprise visit and to tell him the house sold. Luckily, I didn't get to the house part; he doesn't know. Since he put some money into it; I was going to give him back from the sale money. Now I'm not giving him shit. Doesn't solve the immediate problem of where I'm living in a few days. Eventually I can find an apartment; but that doesn't happen overnight. I guess I pull my big girl panties up and stay with my parents." She just really wanted to cry again; but she felt she had tortured Jon enough for one night with that. She buried her head back on his shoulder.

"This is a non-problem; there's no way Joe and I are letting you leave here in a few days anyways, not while you're recovering. Suppose you have some health emergency on the way back; one of those blood clot things or something? You'll stay on the road with Joe and me. While you're getting back to feeling better; you can look for a place online or call a relator, get yourself a place. If it takes you a while; no problem, I've got some vacation planned soon, nothing special just going home to Vegas. You can come with me! I'll teach you all the useful skills like winning at slots or counting cards; how to win a bar fight. Please don't argue with me on this; it's like 2:30 in the morning and I'm never up this early unless I'm sneaking out of some chick's place." Jon flashed the grin that just screamed 'Trouble' at her. He was relieved when she laughed at his joke. It was true, but at least she found humor in it. "You in pain Hun; you can have another pill if you need it, I've been keeping track."

"I'm sorry Jon, sorry that I woke you up. No as far as pain; I think I'm ok right now. Can I ask you a favor? You can say no! I feel like I'm already getting you guys to do too much for me. I was wondering if maybe you could just lie beside me for a while. I'm kind of afraid I'll have another bad dream." It was true; the one early was awful, like the beating and the rape were happening all over again. She also had to admit it was comforting to have his arms around her; it made her feel a little safer. She wasn't completely selfish, she figured out he must have been sleeping in the chair beside the bed when he heard her screaming. It was a King size bed; there was more than enough room, he might as well be comfortable to.

"Stop apologizing; if Joe or I thought you were being a pain, we'd tell you. We're just glad we can help you however we can." He put his arm around her shoulder and slid down with her onto the mattress. "Come on now, cuddle on up; get comfortable and try and get some sleep. I'm not going anywhere." Now this was definitely not him! Cuddling with a woman? Unheard of for him; he kept things simple. Hook up, and go home. Again, it was about keeping the relationships to a minimum. Tasha wasn't just some random ring rat though. Jon had been to her house; eaten her food; stayed in the guest bedroom many times when Colby, Joe and he were in that area. Maybe that was it; what made her different for him, she was already like part of the family. Listening to her breathing was relaxing. He discovered that just by listening to her breathing he could tell when she was asleep, her breathing slowed down; became softer. He had the sudden urge to run his hand through her long, brown hair; he couldn't explain why. He resisted that urge and finally fell asleep; praying that she would be able to go the rest of the early morning without another horrible dream.

It was 9am; normally by now Joe and Jon would have been to the gym and back. However, they had agreed last night to go later in the day depending on how Tasha was feeling. Joe walked out and started some coffee and went to see if Jon was awake. He was surprised there was not a body lying on the couch; where he had left Jon last night. He thought he better go check on Tasha. Joe opened the door quietly and was shocked to find Jon lying on the bed, with Tasha all curled into him. He backed out of the room slowly and shut the door. He had gotten to know Jon pretty well over the months they had traveled together; had heard about his crappy childhood in government housing and his less than perfect parents. He understood completely how Jon had become the person he was, but what he just saw was brand new. Joe had seen his share of women leaving their suites during the early morning hours; sometimes Jon even got up with them and walked them out. Jon didn't hook up with random chicks because he was a douchebag like some guys; he did it because he just didn't know how to be in a serious relationship, so he didn't search women out who would want one. He sat down on the couch with a cup of coffee and tried to digest seeing his friend with a woman cuddled into him. He knew nothing had happened; whatever anyone said about Jon, he wasn't a guy who would take advantage of a woman, especially a woman who was in Tasha's shape. Half an hour later Jon walked out of the room and looked at his friend. "There coffee left?" Jon stretched his arms out.

"Yep, should be fairly hot still; help yourself. Is Tasha still sleeping?" Joe thought this was a pretty safe way of starting a conversation. He watched Jon pour himself some coffee and walk over to the couch.

"Yes, she's still sleeping; which is good. She had a nightmare; well if you ask me, a night terror about her attack around 2am. Woke up screaming for Colby to stop and get off her. I couldn't sleep out here on the couch, so I had fallen asleep in the chair next to the bed. Holy shit Joe, you should have seen her shaking! She was terrified. All I could do was hold on to her; then I let it slip that we had talked to Colby. Before you jump all over my ass; I know, we agreed not to tell her. It just came out. Do you know that asshole had the nerve to call her a slut and a whore? Then tell her that she had never been good enough for him, and this was on top of the beating he was giving her at the time. I'm going to make sure he pays for this Joe. He had it all wrong; she was way too good for him, the ungrateful bastard! Seriously; did you ever see that woman do anything but fall all over him? It makes me sick to think about." Jon was angry, frustrated and tired.

"You are absolutely right; she was way too good for him. There is nothing that any man could come up with that would justify what happened to her. As far as making him pay for this; I'll be right beside you! So once she's feeling better; is she going back home and moving on or what?" Joe decided it was best to not make a big deal out of the cuddling; even though he really wanted to tease Jon a little about it.

"That's the worst part of the whole goddamn story man! She sold the house; she came here to tell him it sold. He convinced her to sell it so that she could hit the road with him. She never even had a chance to tell him that part. So I guess her stuff is in storage and she has the money from the sale; but that's it…she's got nowhere to go except to her folks now." Jon raked his hands through his hair and put his head down. "I told her she was staying on the road with us until she was fully healed and when I go home to Vegas for my vacation she'll come with me. I told her not to argue with me about it; that she could work on finding a place while she traveled. I don't want her running back to her parents in this shape; besides, she was always saying they hated him. Last thing she needs is a lecture about everything."

"You think when she feels a little better she'd take over as cook? Because I am not looking forward to another meal of scrambled eggs and burnt toast! How do you burn toast anyways? Couldn't you smell it burning?" Joe laughed. If he couldn't tease him about cuddling with Tasha; he'd tease him about his cooking.

"Very, very funny man; just for that, you cook tonight!" Jon glared at his friend.


	6. Tasha Gets a Babysitter

Tasha woke up an hour later, in a lot of pain. She couldn't stand the thought of lying around all day in bed. She carefully got out of bed and after giving herself enough time for the dizziness to pass; she walked out into the living room area. "Good morning you two; what are you up to?" The two men stared at her for a moment before jumping up off the couch.

"What are you doing out of bed? Are you crazy? You should have yelled to one of us if you needed something." Jon admonished her. "Come sit down, right now!" He ushered her over to the couch. "What can we get for you?"

Tasha rolled her eyes. "Fine! I need one of the pain pills; I could really use a coffee and something to eat. Preferably nothing burnt." Tasha smirked at Jon.

"Coming right up sweetheart; as for burning the food, what do you want from me? If you wanted gourmet you should have shown up at Emeril's hotel room for help." He smirked back at Tasha. Jon walked into the kitchenette and managed to put together some cold cereal and fresh fruit for her. He walked it over to her and delivered her medicine to her. "I think madam will find everything to her liking," Jon made a very poor attempt to sound British; which just made Tasha laugh.

"Don't make me laugh! My ribs hurt." She pretended to pout. "So what are you two doing today?" Tasha asked before taking her pill and starting on her breakfast. She watched the two men look at each other like they were communicating telepathically.

"Well we were thinking about going down to the gym; but we really don't want to leave you alone." Joe responded. Tasha shot him a look.

"Guys; I'm a little worse for wear, but I'm not an invalid. I see no reason why I can't lie on the couch here, watch crappy daytime TV and fend for myself for an hour or two so you both can go to the gym. I don't want you two changing anymore of your normal routines because of me. If it makes you feel better that someone is with me; Nattie wanted to get together. Of course, she doesn't know about yesterday; but I can invite her here and her and I will talk about boys and do our nails. Better?" Tasha knew they were both being very sweet to her and were doing a great job taking care of her; but it just made her feel guilty that they change everything for her. They did have work to do and part of that work was going to the gym and working out. "Go! I'll be fine. I promise not to move from this spot, unless I need to use the bathroom."

"Call Nattie right now; if she can come over, we would feel better. If not, I guess as long as you promise not to move from that spot; we'll go to the gym. Does that make you happy?" Joe asked the stubborn woman in front of him.

Tasha grabbed her cell phone and called Nattie. "She is on her way over; you two might want to stick around until she comes and sees what I look like. Knowing Nattie she'll get all upset and start crying and then want to kick someone's ass." She really liked Nattie, from the first time Colby had introduced them to each other they hit it off. Each time they had a chance to see each other they always made a trip shopping or just out to lunch. She knew her best girlfriend was going to be upset that she hadn't told her on the phone yesterday what had happened.

"Hey, I think Colby deserves a Figure Four Leg Lock. If she could break his leg while she was at it that would be a start!" Jon flashed one of smiles and shrugged. He came over to the couch and sat next to her. "Did you sleep ok the rest of the morning?" He quietly whispered to her.

Tasha smiled, "Yes, I did and thank you for being the most interesting teddy bear I've ever slept with." She caught a devilish look in his eye and could almost predict what was coming next.

He jerked his head up and wiggled his eyebrows at her, "So…this means we slept together huh? And it was good for you?" He gave her a wink. Jon only looked away from her when the knock came on the door. He watched Joe go answer it; and just in case it was someone other than Nattie, he checked the peep hole first.

"Hey Nattie! Thanks for coming over and keeping an eye on her for us. It means Rico Suave over there won't be too distracted worrying about her so he can actually do some work at the gym!" Joe grinned at the blonde as she walked in and then blew a kiss to Jon, who wasn't laughing.

"Hey Nattie, you're just in time to see the one-on-one match where I kick Joe's ass!" Jon grinned. As Nattie was about to say hello back to Jon; she noticed Tasha. She ran over to the couch.

"Oh my god! What happened? Why didn't you call me?" Nattie brushed some hair out of Tasha's face, getting a better look at her friend.

"Well actually, I did call you, sort of. I called you after this happened yesterday. When I asked you where Jon and Joe were staying. Colby broke up with me and then decided to use me as a punching bag. I didn't really know what to do, or who to go to; I figured Jon and Joe were my best bet. I was so happy you answered the phone Nattie!" Tasha gently hugged her friend.

"I knew it! I knew something was wrong yesterday when you called! You didn't sound right, shaky and a little out of it. If I had known; I would have come got you. Please tell me these two took you to a hospital." Nattie started to fuss over her.

"Yes, they took me to the hospital as soon as I regained consciousness. Joe even carried me down to the car. They have been taking very good care of me; and now they need to get their lazy asses to the gym, like they said they would if I got myself a babysitter!" Tasha glared at the two of them. "Get going; I'm sure Nattie and I will be fine." Once the two men left, she told Nattie the entire story that the guys knew. She was going to leave it at that; but it was gnawing at her. "Nattie, Colby threatened me not to tell anyone, and I haven't so if I tell you this you can't tell another living soul! Promise me! I just can't keep it to myself anymore and I can't tell the guys."

"Ok. I promise not to tell anyone Hun; what's going on? Colby threatened you not to tell anyone what?" Nattie would keep her word and not tell anyone else, unless it was absolutely necessary for Tasha's sake that someone knows.

"Nattie; Colby raped me and then watched as some other guys raped me to. He just sat there laughing; cheering them on. I can't really remember any of their faces for certain; but I remember his voice and his laugh as they did it!" Tasha broke down and started sobbing. "Please, you can't tell anyone! The only other people who know about the gang rape are the staff at the hospital and the cops; and I told the cops I couldn't remember who attacked and raped me, just that there were multiple men. Jon and Joe would flip if they found out and I just can't deal with people looking at me differently."

"I promise, I won't tell anyone; but Hun; I think you need to tell the cops the truth. They'll arrest Colby and whoever else and it will be over. I won't tell anyone if you promise to give it some serious thought; and if you don't want the guys to go with you to the station, I'll go with you. He can't get away with this Tasha. God forbid he decides he can do it to anyone else. Promise me that you'll think about it!"

"I'll think about it." Tasha replied; although deep down she was too afraid and knew she wasn't going to the cops again. Nattie tried to lighten the mood by sharing all the backstage drama with Tasha. Which Diva was dating or sleeping with whom; who wasn't getting along. Anything she could think of to keep Tasha occupied on other thoughts. An hour and a half later Joe and Jon came back from the gym. Nattie kissed Tasha on the forehead and gave her a light hug whispering to her to remember her promise and said goodbye to the guys. "How was the gym, guys?"


	7. Red and Really Dark, Navy Blue

_**One Week Later:**_

Tasha was starting to feel better and had settled into the routine of being on the road with Jon and Joe. Her ribs were still pretty sore; she was amazed each day at what color her bruises had turned. Jon and Joe were still trying to baby her, but she wasn't giving in as easily as she had during the first week. She had thankfully taken over the cooking situation; between Jon repeatidly burning things, and Joe being able to only boil water; make sandwiches and cook a steak, they needed actual food cooked. They seemed truly grateful for it; and it made Tasha feel like she wasn't just hanging around and taking up space. Joe was a truly sweet guy; he had become the big brother Tasha never had. Jon had taken on the self-imposed role as her protector; sometimes it seemed she couldn't be gone for more than 2 minutes without him coming to look for her. Tasha was fine with that; it was nice knowing she had some safety around her. At times, Tasha would catch him looking at her and she would chuckle as soon as he would swerve his head away like he hadn't been. Of course the new running joke was about how they had "slept together"; always made when Joe was just out of earshot, neither of them knew he had seen the two of them that morning. She had made one trip to the arena with them; but it wasn't quite the same as it had been. Instead of walking down the hall smiling and saying hello to people; Jon and Joe snuck her in like they were smuggling something illegal. Checking the hallways to make sure Colby wasn't around; strongly requesting that she stay in their dressing room and not come out. Only telling a few close people that she was there and even then; making them swear that they wouldn't let it get around backstage. When they had to leave the dressing room for their match, they had Nattie and Brie Bella sitting in there with her. Colby had taken away more than even she could have imagined that morning.

Jon had already made the plans for the trip to Vegas; and the plans that Tasha would be joining him. He didn't care if she found a place before then, she was going. He wasn't letting her go anywhere else until he was sure Colby had gotten his and knew not to go near her again. Every day he looked forward to waking up and seeing her; if she was gone from a room too long, he went looking for her. There was part of him who hoped each night she would have an awful nightmare so he could swoop in and protect her. It frustrated him, but in a good way. He racked his brain constantly for the answer to the question, what made this woman different from all the others. He had never been this obessed with anyone and it was bordering on obsession. He wanted to see that face; especially when she was smiling, something about that smile just made him want to do the same. Yet he could see sadness in her; had been trying to hide it over the last week, and if you didn't know Tasha you probably wouldn't notice it. Jon noticed it; he wasn't surprised, but he wanted so badly to rip it out of her.

Nattie had come over later that morning for a visit and as she sat with Joe the table; she watched Jon silently fidget on the couch; waiting for Tasha to shower and change. She grinned and nudged Joe; pointing in the direction of the other man. "Is he always like this about Tasha?" Truly wanting to chuckle about it; the usually laid back Jon was acting more like his in ring persona than normal.

"Oh yeah, you should see it; he follows her around everywhere like a lost puppy! I've never seen anything quite like it. I'm positive he has not figured it out yet; he has no clue that he is falling hard for her. The funniest part is; I'm pretty sure it's happening in a more subtle way on her end to. If she can't find him right off; she asks what he's off doing. It's like watching two young kids who like each other; he'll tease her about something; she'll tease back. He'll find a reason to touch her somehow and she'll ruffle his hair all up for no reason. It's kind of cute." Joe replied with a grin of his own. "I think it will be a while before either of them realize it. Tasha has to deal with a lot of emotional stuff I think before she could even think about another relationship and Jon; he's got a lot of demons about relationships before I think he'll be able to have a decent one. Who knows maybe helping her get through her stuff, will help him deal with his." Nattie and Joe both watched him immediately stop fidgeting the moment the door to her bedroom had opened and she came out. Later in the day Joe decided to hit the gym, leaving Jon with Tasha.

"So sweetheart, what would you like to do this afternoon?" Jon gave her that smile that made her smile back, no matter how she was feeling. "We could play a board game we don't have; I could make some toast and we could enjoy the fire department showing up…what do you feel up for?"

"Please no fire department or burnt toast! The smell lingers in the room for hours! Honestly, I'd really like to get out of the hotel room. I don't even care what we do; I need some fresh air and to walk around like a normal person. I'm getting stir crazy in the hotel. Maybe a late lunch, or catch a movie; a walk around the block even sounds good right now."

"Awww…Are you asking me out?" Jon grinned. "Cause I'm not sure I have anything to wear, I know I don't have shoes that will go with any of my outfits."

"What a shame! Well I guess I could make an exception on my very strict dress code this one time; if you get me out of this place for a little while." Tasha grinned back, thinking there was nothing wrong with the blue jeans, white t-shirt and hoodie sweatshirt he was wearing now. It fit his personality; laid back, going with the flow.

"Alright sweetheart; I don't see a reason why we couldn't go out for a while. I'll be with you and I'm sure you are going nuts in here. It doesn't bother Joe and I; were used to hanging out in the hotel rooms, easier than going out and being mugged by fans. Let's go, we'll figure something out as we walk around." He watched that wonderful smile form on her face as she went and grabbed her purse. Once she was ready they headed out for the afternoon. He did call Joe and leave him a message; just so he wouldn't be concerned when he got back to the hotel. Once they hit the sidewalk outside the hotel; he watched as she tilted her head up and shut her eyes; enjoying the feel of the sunshine on her face. He noticed that when the sun hit her hair in the right way, he could see red highlights that you normally didn't see. She was beautiful even with random bruises. They casually walked down the street and talked. "I'm just now realizing that I really don't know very much about you Tasha. I guess it's because you were always just Colby's girlfriend; didn't really need to know anything other than that and you were a great person."

Tasha smiled, "I know that feeling; I don't know a whole lot about you either. As for just being Colby's girlfriend; I think for a while, that's all I was. That was such a huge part of my life for so long; I guess I didn't really do much else. It's sad now that I think about it; I could have been doing something for myself during the times he was on the road, and I didn't. It was all about him." Tasha frowned thinking about that. It wasn't how she had really planned on living her life; it just happened. "But we can get to know each other now, ask away!" She said pulling herself out of her pity party.

"What's your favorite color?" Jon thought he might as well start with the basics.

"My favorite color is Red, what about your favorite color?" Tasha grinned.

"Black" he responded quickly.

"Jon, Black isn't really a color; it's the absence of color." Tasha said while shaking her head.

"Alright; my favorite color is a really dark, navy blue that looks black." Jon said with a straight-face.

Tasha rolled her eyes at him and tried very hard to keep from laughing at him. This went back and forth for a few hours; the two of them learning more about each other. Everything from favorite foods to their opinions on different subjects in the news; time just seemed to fly past without them knowing. It wasn't until Joe called wondering if they had fled the state, that they had realized it was getting late. Joe also told them he would meet them in the lobby because he was starving. Once they reached the hotel they grabbed Joe and took the SUV to a diner. They returned to the hotel and Joe turned in for the night. Tasha and Jon sat watching TV; she looked over at him. He was handsome in an unconventional way, which she liked. His hair usually was in his face and looked like he had just rolled out of bed; He had amazing blue eyes and she loved the way he dressed. "What?" He asked, snapping her out of her own little world. She turned bright red, realizing she had been caught staring at him.

"I was just going to tell you I had a good time this afternoon; thanks!" Tasha smiled, mostly because she was happy; but also because she had come up with a brilliant way out of her embarrassment. He seemed to buy that excuse and smiled back.

"I'm glad, I had a good time to; even if you did critasize my choice of a favorite color." Jon grinned. "Hey, speaking of favorite colors; I know why yours is red."

"Oh? Why is my favorite color red?" She looked at him curiously.

"Because it looks good on you," Jon reached out a hand and brushed it against her blushing cheeks lightly. "Good night Tasha." Without saying another word he turned and headed off to his room, closing the door behind himself. Tasha blushed more; touching her own cheek where his hand had been. _What just happened?_

_**Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has started following this story! I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as I am writing it.**_


	8. A First

Tasha was so confused; Did Jon have feelings for her? Deep down she knew she was developing feelings for him. This was so wrong! He was her boyfriend's best friend; as soon as the thought happened her brain corrected it. _No; He is your EX-boyfriend's FORMER best friend. You aren't breaking any rules here and even if you were, you don't owe Colby shit!_ She couldn't argue with that thought; as far as she was concerned, he lost the right to anything when he put his hands on her. Tasha knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep with all of this floating around in her head. Before she had really thought anything out she was headed for his bedroom. She knocked softly and when she heard him say 'come in' she slipped into the room. He wasn't in bed; he was pacing back and forth on one side of the room. He looked up and spotted her; coming to a complete stop where he was. She wondered if he had thought it was Joe knocking; he looked surprised. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm just going to…" He cut her off before she could finish.

"God damnit. You bother me; but not the way you're thinking. You aren't a bother and I wish you'd stop thinking you were. What bothers me is that since you came here, all I can think about is you! I can't think straight when I'm around you. When I wake up; I just want to see you and when I go to bed, you end up sneaking your way into my dreams. Yet, you just went through this horrific event and I feel like some kind of douchebag for wanting to be with you. I don't know!" He raked his hands through his hair, tugging at it. "I don't have experience here; these feelings, I don't know what I'm supposed to do with them. I've never been like this about any woman; ever! Of course it figures I would get them at the worst possible time for you; like you need one more thing, and I'm sorry for that. What I did out there just now…God! You just are so damn beautiful; and when you blushed it just…I just had to touch you. I'm not a good man Tasha! I'm not sure I could be if I even tried; but I just SOOOO want to try for you!" Jon let out a ragged breath that he had been holding for the minutes it took him for his rant.

Tasha listened as Jon came unglued right before her eyes; and it shocked her. He did have feelings for her and as he was explaining everything he felt; she knew exactly what he was talking about because she felt it for him as well. He was worried about it being bad timing for her; and the truth was it was shitty timing for her, the thought of being intimate with a man right now made her nauseous and scared. The thought of him finding out why she felt that way made her even more nauseous and scared; but this was shitty timing for him to! Look at her; she was a hot mess right now. She was not a 'catch' for anyone and if he knew just exactly how broken she was; he'd want to steer as far away from her as he could. She was a ticking time bomb. The more he talked, the more she understood exactly what he was describing. Suddenly; IT happened!

Tasha had no idea if she had walked to him; or he had walked to her; or even if they had met somewhere in the middle. It didn't even matter; all she knew now was their mouths were locked on each other! The million things that had been in her head – Gone! Now all that was left was the realization that they were kissing. The electricity of that one kiss was nothing she had ever experienced. Even when his hands went to the back of her head and pulled her in closer deepening the kiss; when she should have felt like running the hell away, she couldn't. Don't think for a second Tasha was a passive participant in this; she had her hands in his hair pulling him closer like she needed him in order to breath. The kiss seemed to go on for hours; days; weeks, who knew? Time had lost all meaning for both of them. Finally Jon pulled away; both of them panting for air. They stood frozen; staring at each other. It was like they each were trying to gage how the other was going to react to this earth shaking event. Tasha blushed instantly; she could feel the heat in her cheeks and could still feel his mouth on hers. "You're blushing again." Jon said quietly.

"I know," is all Tasha could say back to him. "I should go to sleep." She said after a few minutes of silence.

"You don't have to go Tasha." Jon whispered to her.

"I do…if I stay something else will happen; and I'm just not ready for that Jon. So, I will go to my room." Tasha walked slowly to the door and as she walked out she paused and turned her head. He was still looking at her. "Jon? I love you to!" With that Tasha, shut his door behind her and walked quickly to her bedroom. Closing the door and climbing into bed. She lie there looking at the ceiling in the dark. She had told him she loved him. One week after she had been beaten and raped by her then boyfriend; she told Jon she loved him, and it wasn't a lie.

_**Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is a short one; plenty more coming I promise!**_


	9. Vegas Part 1

_**Two Weeks After the Kiss:**_

Tasha and Jon had started to spend more time together since the night of their kiss. She was actually looking forward to their trip to Las Vegas and Jon's home. She wondered what his home would look like; He had so many different sides of him. Though she guessed it would be a very relaxed place; some place he would be comfortable just hanging out in. She was packing her luggage that she had brought with her; when Joe knocked on the door frame. "Hey Joe, what's up?" She inquired while folded her clothes.

"Well I just wanted to let you know; I'm getting ready to head out to the next city. I hope I'll be seeing you in a week after your vacation in Vegas is over? You are welcome with us for as long as you want, Hun! Can I ask you a personal question; you can tell me to butt out if you want, I won't be upset." Joe sat down on the side of the bed next to the suitcase.

"I might be back; I don't know what my plan is quite yet. Ok, ask away." Tasha looked up from her packing.

"You and Jon are spending a lot of time together; not that it's a bad thing, trust me that's not what I'm saying. I was just curious about what is going on with you two." Joe decided to ask the question that he and Nattie had been talking about for weeks now.

"I'm not sure what it is. I'm not sure it's been clearly defined yet by either of us. I know I enjoy spending time with him. He makes me feel safe, special and cared for; is it odd that when I was with Colby I thought he was the greatest guy ever, and that our relationship was like a fairy-tale? But since I've had the chance to get to know Jon; I realize those were just the things I wanted Colby to be; not what he actually was. Jon is a wonderful guy; it's easy being around him. Two weeks ago; we kissed after you had gone off to bed. Joe, I can't even explain it! It was like the whole world stopped in those few moments. I'm pretty sure I love him. I know it brings a lot of issues into things. I mean at one point Colby and the two of you were best friends. I feel weird sometimes thinking about being around Jon like that. Then of course, I bring all this screwed up baggage with me and he doesn't deserve to have to deal with that." Tasha answered honestly.

Joe smiled; "I think it's great if you two like each other. I hope it works out for the two of you. I've never seen him get serious with a woman before. I think you calm him down; settle him. Stop worrying about the whole 'best friend of my ex' thing. Colby burnt bridges with all of us; especially you, and you know what? Screw him! Make yourself happy Hun, you deserve it. As for baggage; he does a pretty good job hiding his, but he has it to. I think if you take things slow, show each other some patience and are honest with each other. You'll be ok. You make sure you have fun in Vegas; you could use a vacation and not need to worry about things for a while." Joe stood up and gave Tasha a kiss on the forehead. "If you decide not to come back on the road; you be sure not to be a stranger ok?"

Tasha gave Joe a quick hug, "Thanks Joe. I appreciate the pep talk; and I'll be sure to visit a lot. But I think you're stuck with me for a bit longer. I just can't seem to find a place right now; I'm sure I'll find one. I'm trying to not be so picky and still get a good place." She laughs. "Have a safe trip Joe." She watched as he headed out and then realized she better finish packing soon; Jon would be there soon to pick her up.

Several hours later the plane touched down in Las Vegas. Tasha was so excited; she had never been to Vegas. Jon made sure to drive down the strip on the way to his place; so that she could see it. "So I was thinking maybe tonight you'd like to go out. Out with me; on a real date?" He glanced over at her quickly as he drove. He had already worked on a few things; surprises for her on their date. So he was a little nervous she wouldn't say yes.

"A real date; like getting dressed up and going to dinner or something like that," Jon nodded at her. Tasha smiled back at him. "Yes, I would, Jon. I would love to go on a date with you tonight." She saw him beaming in the driver's seat out of the corner of her eye. He seemed really excited about the date, and she didn't want to screw anything up. A few minutes later, they pulled up at good sized, single family home. "This is where you live?" Tasha was surprised. Tasha figured he'd live in some batchelor pad that would look more like a frat house than a home; this was a nice home in a regular neighborhood.

"Well, I don't get to be here much; so I guess live is a relative term. I bought the place when I was in the independents; first big purchase I made. I guess it's like the house I wish I had grown up in; that's probably weird right?" Jon was nervous, he had never let a woman see his house and he knew it wasn't what most people expected of him.

"That's not weird, Jon. I think this is a beautiful place. Can I see the inside of it?" Tasha smiled. She followed him inside the house. It was tastefully decorated, it was such a beautiful home; Tasha was very impressed. He showed her around and stopped at a door. When he opened it; It clearly was a guest bedroom and on the bed was a large box with a bow around it. "What is that?" She smiled.

"This is your room, and well the box is a gift, for our date. I figure you'll probably want to shower and clean up before our date. I have reservations at a little place off the strip at 7pm. If you need anything, I'll be in the living room or my room down the hall, ok?" He grinned. "I'll see you later sweetheart!" He headed down the hall to the living room and hoped he got the gift right.

Tasha put her bags down and walked over to the bed. It had been a long time since she had received a gift from someone. The last time was when she and Colby had first started dating; he bought her a bracelet with a heart charm on it. She thought about getting rid of it after what he did; but she just hadn't been ready to part with it. Tasha opened the small gift card attached to the box and read the note inside. _"Your favorite color; because it looks good on you! Jon"_ She smiled and open the box to find a red dress inside. It was beautiful; and he had gotten the size right. It was a Ruby Red sheath dress that had a red Organza sash coming from the midline of the dress and made rosettes over one shoulder. It was by-far the most beautiful dress she had ever seen and the fact that Jon had picked it out for her made it even more beautiful. She had 2 hours to clean up and get ready for dinner; and her first date with Jon!


	10. Vegas Part 2

Jon had changed into a nice black suit and was nervously waiting to see Tasha in the dress he had picked out for her. He hoped she liked it; normally he wouldn't have been so bold as to pick out his date's outfit; but he when he had seen it, he knew it was perfect for her. He was starting to get fidgety. When he turned around again; he saw her standing in the doorway. Her long brown hair was in loose curls and she was wearing make-up. The dress fit her perfectly; like it was made for her. She added a pair of black heels. "You look…Amazing!" Was all Jon could manage, while he looked her over?

"Thank you Jon, you look very handsome to! Thank you for the beautiful dress, I love it!" Tasha blushed as he stared at her. "Jon, do you think we should go?" She chuckled as she watched him snap back to attention. Tasha smiled and grabbed her small clutch purse; and walked closer to Jon, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Of course; let's go." He held his hand out and took hers. "I hope you like Italian; there is an amazing little family run Italian place off the strip. Their food is amazing. I thought maybe after dinner you'd like to go to the strip, walk for a bit. I know you haven't been here to Vegas before, so I thought you'd like that." Jon smiled and walked her to his car, opening the door for her. Tasha slid into the car and they headed to the restaurant. Jon opened the door again for her when they reached their destination. The hostess led them to a quiet table in the corner of the restaurant. Jon was so busy looking at Tasha that he never heard the hostess asking him what he'd like to drink. Tasha put her hand on his and got his attention. "I'm sorry, if we could get a bottle of red wine; Merlot would be great. Thank you." Jon gave the hostess a quick smile and looked down at Tasha's hand resting on his. "You look beautiful Tasha, I'm so glad you said you'd come out with me. "

Tasha smiled and looked back at Jon. "I'm glad you asked me out, I haven't been out for a date in a while; and the dress is way too much, you really didn't have to buy it."

"I know I didn't have to buy it; I wanted to. You deserve someone who will treat you well and let you know you're special. Colby; he never treated you that way, I never said anything because it wasn't my place and he was a friend." He looked over at Tasha, who had gotten quiet.

"Let's not talk about Colby. I want this date to be our date, is that ok?" Tasha said quietly.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." The waitress came to the table and poured them each a glass of wine from the bottle and took their orders. "So do you have any thoughts about what you'd like to do now; seems like the world has just opened right up for you now. You had mentioned something about wanting to write, you could pursue that now if you wanted." Jon sipped his wine.

"Oh….writing is just something I do for fun; it's a hobby. I don't think I could actually make any money off from it. I'm not sure what to do really, but I'll figure it out. Have you ever thought about what you would do if you weren't wrestling?" She took a sip of her wine.

"No. I've always just wanted to wrestle; I can't think of another thing I'd be doing if I couldn't be wrestling." Jon looked at her.

Tasha nodded, she could always tell just how much wrestling meant to Jon; just watching him do it you knew. He was so grateful to be having the career he was having. She had respect for him for exactly that reason. She was just about to ask him another question when a gentleman approached the table and asked him for an autograph. Tasha had gotten use to this with Colby; the few times they had actually been out he would get approached and he would sign the autograph, talk to the person and she would just sit there smiling.

"I'm really glad to meet a fan; but I'm on a date right now, and it's really important that I focus on this beautiful woman right here. So maybe I could sign an autograph some other time, I hope you understand." Jon said politely to the man. The man obviously understood; he shook Jon's hand and walked away. Jon looked back at Tasha and noticed the shocked expression on her face. "What? I'm on a date with you. The fans are important, I love the fans; but right now the most important person on this earth is you." He watched Tasha smile. "See; that smile right there is what I love to see!" After talking for a few more minutes, the food was delivered to the table. They spoke to each other in between bites and enjoyed their food and a few more glasses of wine. The waitress brought out a piece of chocolate cake with two forks and a dozen long-stemmed, red roses, and quietly walked away.

"Wait…we didn't order that and what are these?" Tasha looked at Jon with an amused look.

"Well I ordered the desert ahead of time, I know you like chocolate and didn't want to do the usual lame box of chocolates; so I did this and thought we could share it. These are roses; I bought them ahead of time and made sure they'd be here in time for desert. Before you can say it; because I know you're going to. It was my pleasure, you're very welcome and you absolutely do deserve this." Jon smiled back. "Now, let's try out this cake, huh? Don't make me eat it all by myself; I'm trying to watch my girlish figure!" Jon grinned.

Tasha just laughed, "Girlish figure, I like it! Here, let me." Tasha took a fork and cut into the cake, taking a bite from it. She held the fork out to Jon, so he could eat from it. She smiled as he took the cake into his mouth and indicated with an enthusiastic head nod that it was very good. "There; now I can say I have you eating out of my hand." She chuckled.

"It wasn't in your hand sweetheart; it was on a fork that just happened to be in your hand. That's ok though, I suppose it was only a matter of time after we slept together that I'd be doing that." Jon chuckled back. "So I guess that means we should just go get married now." He flashed that mischievous grin at her; the one that made her heart stop for a moment. They continued to feed each other the cake; which marked another first for Tasha. No one had ever really been so attentive to her before. She wasn't use to it; but she had to admit, it was nice to come first. Jon paid the bill and they went back to his car. "Ready for a walk, or would you rather do something else?"

"Oh god Jon; I ate so much in there, I'm not sure I could walk if I wanted to." Tasha laughed. "Maybe there is a nice lounge or bar we could go to and just relax?" She laughed as Jon bowed to her.

"Your wish is my command; I think I know just the place. Hop in the car and we'll go." They drove on the strip and Tasha watched as all the lights and brilliant casinos passed by the car. At the far end of the strip, they pulled into a parking lot. They both got out of car and headed into the building. Tasha was very surprised; once they entered she saw the warmly lit lounge. There was a jazz singer on stage entertaining the crowd. It was perfect! They found themselves a booth and settled in. Each of them placed their drink order with the waitress who greeted them cheerfully. "So, how did I do?"

"It's wonderful Jon; like you crawled into my head and found what I was thinking of." Tasha smiled. She swore she had never smiled so much in one night in her life. He was being so considerate and amazing. The two of them enjoyed a drink and some conversation. It was so easy to talk to him. The singer started singing a beautiful slow song. She watched Jon stand up and offer her his hand. "Did you want to leave now?" She was met with a laugh.

"No. I was actually hoping you might want to dance with me." Jon's expression was intense and Tasha couldn't possibly say no. Taking his hand, she slid out of the booth and followed him to the small dance floor. Jon put one hand on her back and the other around her waist; Tasha wrapped her arms around his neck. As they danced; they just stared into the other's eyes. Memories of the night he held her after her bad dream and slept with his arms around her; and of the night two weeks ago when they kissed were the only thoughts she could think of. He smelled wonderful; like cologne and man. She wasn't bothered at all when he pulled her closer to him and they continued to dance. Jon leaned his head down and captured her lips with his. The same electrical shot from the first kiss was still there and still just as strong. She kissed him back and their tongues explored each other's mouths. Tasha let out a soft moan; which was just swallowed up by the kiss. God he was sexy! If she hadn't been sure weeks ago; she was sure now. She was falling for him; hell, had already fallen for him. The kiss ended when the song stopped, but Jon kissed over to her ear. Breathlessly he whispered, "Let's go back to my place." Tasha just shook her head in agreement, watching him drop money on the table to pay the bill.

The drive back to his place was like torture. She wanted him close to her again. Jon felt the same way about her; he felt sure that he could be what she needed and make her forget about everything bad that had happened to her. He pulled into his driveway; taking her hand and rushed into the house. They barely made it through the door before he kissed her again. Gently leaning her against the wall in the hallway; Jon kissed while he locked the door to the house. He kissed his way down to the base of her throat and then back up one side of her neck. He stopped kissing long enough to walk her through the house and down to his bedroom. Once he shut the door he swooped in again for another kiss; tongues dueling each other like they were in some sort of battle. She felt his hands roaming her body and soon felt the dress he bought her fall to the floor. "You're so fucking beautiful!" Jon mumbled as he admired her in her bra and panties. Tasha blushed and kissed him again. Tasha's hands slipped up his chest and pushed the jacket off his shoulders. She moved them back down to start with the buttons on his damn dress shirt. He didn't care about the shirt right now; so surprised her when he just ripped the buttons apart, sending buttons in all directions. He shrugged the shirt off as her hands explored his chest. He spun them around and started walking forwards; making Tasha walk backwards until she fell onto the bed. She gasped in surprise as he kissed her exposed abdomen; making it tremble in response. Jon reached up and ran his hands over her fabric covered breasts. He kissed her exposed cleavage before kissing up to her mouth again. Tasha moaned into the kiss as Jon moved so his weight was on her.

That was all it took; the innocent mistake of laying in just that way, not meaning any harm made Tasha's eyes fly open wide. She could feel her heart beating faster; but not in the way it had been a few minutes earlier. She felt the panic swelling inside her. "Jon…Jon…Please get off me, I'm not ready for this, I thought I was; but I'm not." She pleaded. Jon was so caught up; all he heard her say was his name and he kept going. His hands trailing down her stomach; going lower. _Oh God the Hands on Me! Not again! Please not again!_ Her inner voice screamed. "Jon! I mean it; I'm not ready, get off!" He was completely lost in her; in the beauty of her. He felt his hand reach her panties; when suddenly he was violently shoved off her. He looked at her in shock; seeing a wide-eyed woman looking back at him. Her breathing was so fast and there was fear and terror in her face. "I told you to get off me!" She screamed at him angrily; crawling off the bed on the other side and gathering the dress off the floor. "I'm not ready…I thought you were different…Just leave me alone!" Before he could say anything to her she had left his room and locked herself in the guest bedroom.

Worried; confused and surprised by how quickly everything had changed, he followed her and knocked on the locked door. "Tasha, I'm sorry. I…I don't know what's going on…please talk to me!" Suddenly now he was the one pleading.

"Go away Jon! Just leave me alone." She said sounding scared behind the locked door.

Jon paced the hallway. _What the hell just happened?_ He was so frustrated. What had he done wrong? Why was she suddenly so frightened and panicked around him? He knew he could never hurt her; yet she seemed to be under the impression he would. With a growl; he left the door and shut himself up in his room; where he miserably tried to replay everything that had happened over and over in his brain. He heard a phone go off; he looked over and saw her clutch still lying on the floor. It was her cell phone. Even though he knew he shouldn't touch it; he picked it up and saw that it was Nattie calling.

"Hey girl, I've been trying to reach you all evening; and you never picked up." Nattie said on the other end of the phone once he answered it. "Um…earth to Tasha."

"It's me Jon, Nattie. I don't know what happened; but she's locked herself in my guest bedroom and won't talk to me. Something is going on and I have no clue what it is!"


	11. Secret Revealed

Nattie listened to the distraught sounding Jon explain every detail of the date and what had happened when they got back to his place. As soon as he got to the last part she knew exactly why her friend had suddenly freaked out. She felt bad for Jon; clearly he hadn't had any bad intentions towards Tasha. She decided that if there was ever a time that someone needed to know what else had happened to Tasha; now was that time. "Jon, it wasn't really you. I promise. I have to tell you something. That day that Tasha was beaten up by Colby." She paused, knowing this might get her in trouble with Tasha for telling him.

"Yeah; how could I forget? What about that day? I mean he beat her up; I know that already, remember she came to Joe and I for help." He responded, still confused about what was going on.

"He beat her up but there was something else to, she didn't want anyone to know; especially you and Joe. She was feeling scared and ashamed; afraid that people would treat her differently if they knew." Nattie was trying to make him understand without having to say the words, but clearly he wasn't picking up on it. "Jon; Colby beat her and then raped her. If that wasn't horrific enough for her; he sat and cheered some other guys on as they took their turns raping her to. She didn't know who those other guys were; but she said she clearly remembered Colby's voice laughing and cheering them on. I'm sorry Jon." Nattie took a deep breath.

"Wait…he what? Then he let his scumbag friends do it to? Oh god and she must have thought I was going to…Fuck! No wonder she's locked herself in the bedroom. Nattie; I never would have…I have my issues and I've sometimes not treated women very well, but I would never rape any woman. Especially not Tasha! I love her!" Jon tried to process all the information. "Why didn't she tell Joe or I; or even the cops?"

"She did tell the cops, when you and Joe brought her to the hospital. She suffered through the added humiliation of having a rape kit done and telling the cops what had happened; but she told the cops she didn't know who had attacked her. Colby threatened her Jon; scared her to death! Told her he now had friends in high places and he would get away with it. He told her he would hurt her again and do worse if she told anyone. I wanted to tell you and Joe that day she told me; but she made me promise I wouldn't. It's not you Jon…she loves you to. She's just; she's been through hell and just hasn't found her way out yet. Now that you know; I think you can help her find that way out. I'm going to go, just be patient; let her calm down and then you two can talk. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Nattie hung up; leaving Jon to think about everything he had just been told. If he had known he would have been more careful, taken it slower; let her set the pace of things. Jon felt like scum; he also felt like killing Colby and whoever else had hurt her that morning. Jon paced his bedroom for a while; he just needed to talk to Tasha, but she wasn't going to do that with him right now. He knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep; so instead he went out and sat against the wall outside the guest bedroom.

Inside the guest bedroom; Tasha laid in the bed crying. She had screwed tonight up; she knew in her heart that Jon wasn't going to hurt her. Tasha thought she was fine; that she had been able to push all of it down far enough that she could move on with her life. Tonight had proved she was only fooling herself. Jon probably hated her now; he probably thought she was a tease, letting him get that far and then saying no. The panic had been so much stronger than her heart; everything she had felt that morning in that hotel suite had come back, hitting her like one of Joe's spears. What was she going to do now? She still hadn't found a place to live; Jon would probably want her gone as soon as morning came. She continued to cry into the pillow as she resigned herself into having to go home and live with her parents. Out of the corner of her eye; she could see the roses and the red dress, gifts of a love she just managed to kill. Finally, Tasha cried herself to sleep; not knowing that just outside the door Jon was on the floor, leaned up against the wall.

Tasha woke the next morning; she knew Jon would tell her to get out, so she quietly packed her bags back up. She looked briefly at the red dress; she wanted so badly to pack it with the rest of her stuff, but the feelings that led to her getting the dress were gone. At least maybe he could clean it and sell it or donate it someplace; make up for wasting it on her. Her plan was to just sneak out; and save him the trouble of having to tell her to leave. Tasha quietly opened the door and was met with a surprise; it was Jon. Had he slept the whole night there against the wall?

Jon's head popped up as soon as he heard the bedroom door open. His attention went from her to her luggage behind her. She looked completely shocked that he was sitting there. "Tasha please don't leave; I'm so sorry about last night. We need to talk about it; don't leave before we do that. If you want to leave after we talk, I'll happily drive you to wherever you want to go myself. Please." Jon looked awful; he hadn't slept most of the night and he was beating himself up over what had happened all night.

"Jon, what is there to talk about? You planned the most romantic evening I've ever had and then I ruined it all. You shouldn't be sorry; I led you on last night, you thought everything was great and then I freaked out on you. You probably don't want me here now, so I'll just go. I'm sorry; truly thank you for everything you've done for me, please let Joe know I thank him to." Tasha started making her way down the hallway with her luggage.

"Tasha, Wait! I don't want you to go; please stay. I know what happened that morning." He gently grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. As soon as she heard that he knew; he watched as the color drained from her face. "Nattie called you last night; but your purse and phone were still in my room. I told her what happened and she told me about what that Asshole and his animal friends did to you! I wish I had known sweetheart; I…I would have been more careful last night, waited until you felt comfortable. Tasha I would never; ever, force myself on you. I love you! Please stay and talk to me." He watched the tears come into her eyes; the embarrassment and hurt on her face.

"I didn't want you or Joe to know; I didn't want anyone to know. I don't want people looking at me with pity and whispering to each other about me. I just wanted to forget it happened and move on; I thought I was fine. I panicked last night; I tried telling myself that it was you and that I was fine, but it just all came back." Tasha started to sob and Jon went to hug her; only she took a step back. "I'm not what you need Jon; I'm broken now and you deserve someone so much better than me! I don't deserve someone like you, Jon. Please just let me leave and forget about me." Tasha sobbed; her heart twisting into a giant knot in her chest. This time she didn't move quickly enough and Jon managed to pull her closer and wrap her in a tight hug. She collapsed against him and prayed he wouldn't let go.

"Don't ever say that you don't deserve someone who loves you. What you didn't deserve was what they did to you. I'm not letting you leave. Tasha, I have never felt the way I feel about you with any other woman. You are all the good things I never felt I deserved rolled into one person. I swear to you right now; I am not leaving you, I'm going to help you work through this. Hell, I'll go to counseling to; don't give up on us yet. Please give me; give us a chance! I think the first thing we need to do is get you to the police station so you can tell them who did this to you. The only way you'll ever feel safe is if you confront this. Tell them it was Colby and his scumbag friends." Jon immediately saw the panic again in her face. "Hey! He won't get anywhere near you. If he ever wants to hurt you again; he's going to have to get through me first! He won't ever pay for what he's done if you don't make him pay for it. I promise you I will be there every second; holding your hand and helping you. Please let me help you through this." Jon kissed her softly. "We can go right now."

"Jon, you don't understand; he said he'd get away with it; that the company would back him now that he was with the Authority. He said he'd do worse to me if I went and told someone!" Tasha cried.

"Sweetheart, there is not a single member of the Authority who is going to stand behind a rapist! That was just him scaring you so you wouldn't tell. Do you honestly think that Vince, Paul or Stephanie; especially Stephanie, are going to sit there and back him up when they find out what he did. That he did it in a hotel suite that the company paid for? They aren't going to support him; they are going to back as far away from him as they can, so that none of the shit hits them. Tasha; think about one thing for a minute, what if you don't tell anyone. What if because he doesn't get in trouble he decides to do it again? What about that woman? Suppose she doesn't have the same support system you do? You need to send him the message that what he did deserves to be punished. You know Joe and I aren't going to let him close enough to hurt you again; Joe thinks of you as his younger sister, he is going to kick Colby's ass into next Sunday once he finds out that Colby did that. As for me; No one hurts my woman and walks away without bleeding." Jon felt her sigh as he held her.

She knew he was right. Tasha knew she couldn't stay quiet about this anymore; and the fact Jon offered to be there every step of it made her feel slightly better. She had to do something; last night just proved that right now Colby was winning. He had managed to ruin a perfect night and he wasn't even in the same zip code. "Ok. I'm ready; let's go." Tasha whispered to Jon.

_**AN: I would like to truly thank everyone who is reading this story; it always means so much when I write something people enjoy reading! Please feel free to review; I'm always open to ideas and helpful suggestions.**_


	12. Hard Day and Good Morning

Jon and Tasha spent all day at the police station. It was difficult because the crime had happened in Green Bay, WI; so the Las Vegas detectives needed to contact the Green Bay detectives. Jon had done what he promised and sat beside her; holding her hand. He gripped her hand tighter as she gave the detectives a detailed account of how everything had happened. Crying as she verbally relived the most horrible parts. When she got to the part where they asked her who her attacker was; Jon looked at her and nodded; mouthing, "It's ok!" to her. Tasha nodded back to him, "My ex-boyfriend Colby Lopez, was the person who beat me and was the first man to rape me. He watched as the other guys; his friends raped me, I didn't know any of them."

The detective; who seemed like a very nice man, smiled. "I'm going to get this name to the guys in Green Bay; they'll be the ones to issue the arrest warrant. It was very helpful that you did the rape kit; though I'm sure at the time it was the last thing you wanted to go through. It will provide them with proof you were attacked and hopefully give them a good DNA sample to test against. It was very brave of you to come forward with his name. I wish I could tell you this was the hardest part; but the hard part isn't over yet, you'll probably have to be in court to testify. We have your cell number; so do the Green Bay police; someone will be calling you to let you know what is going to happen next, alright? For now, go back to where you're staying; try to relax and enjoy yourself. "He shook Tasha's hand first and then Jon's.

Jon reached up and wiped the tears off her face. "I'm so proud of you Tasha; I thought I was a strong person, but you just took that title. I hope you don't mind, but I called Joe and told him." Jon rubbed her shoulders. "He cried Tasha; the big guy broke down and cried. He is going to be here tomorrow." Jon kissed her cheek. "Come on, you have to be starving; we'll grab some take out and go back to my place. You have clothes to unpack again. Then we'll just watch a movie or something; it's been a long, rough day for you." Tasha nodded in agreement with his plan; figuring it had been just as hard on him. She wasn't going to fight anymore today; she was tired and felt like she had been through the attack now a third time.

They picked up some Chinese food on the way back to Jon's place. Tasha looked like she had been through a battle. They got into his house and Jon put the food on the counter. He walked over to her and hugged her tight again. "You ok? The food isn't going anywhere; it can always be warmed up later. You want a nap or I could run you a bath. Whatever you want Tasha." Jon ran a hand over her face.

"I'm ok; just drained. A nap sounds good…but…I really don't want to be alone." Tasha responded softly; hugging him back.

"You aren't alone anymore; Come on I'll nap with you." He led her to his bedroom and the two lay down together. Jon put his arms around her and held her close to him. Neither of them had slept well the night before, so they drifted off fairly quickly. They woke up two hours later; feeling much better, but hungry. Jon kissed her neck and lips; "Let's go eat, I'll warm up the food and you can be in charge of beers. Wait…do you drink beer?" He stopped moving and looked at her.

"Yes, Jon on occasions I drink beer; so I am happy to be in charge of them." Tasha smiled. She followed him to the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the fridge; while Jon heated plates of Chinese food. They carried everything in to the living room and sat on the couch. Jon pulled her closer to him and put on "The Hangover". It was a great choice; they both could use a good laugh and laugh they did. Tasha rested her head against his chest. She was happy that he hadn't sent her away. Even though she had been so scared to talk to the cops; He told her it would be ok; and she believed it. "Jon?"

"Yes sweetheart, what can I get for you?" He kissed her head.

"I just wanted you to know that I knew you weren't going to hurt me last night. You're not that person; I just panicked." Jon kissed her head again.

"I know Hun; and I'm not going anywhere, so there is no hurry. When you are ready, we'll give last night another shot; only you'll be in charge of what happens. No worries."

Tasha chuckled, "Ok. I have to ask; why do you insist on calling me 'Sweetheart'? You've been doing it since I showed up that day in the hotel."

Jon looked at her and smiled, "I don't know, it started as kind of a joke I guess. Me being a smartass; now I like calling you that. Do you mind it? I could stop if it did."

"No, it doesn't bother me. I just always thought it was funny that's all; and you are a smartass, but I love you anyways." Tasha leaned up against him listened to his heartbeat in his chest. It was relaxing and she ended up falling asleep on him. Jon didn't have the heart to move her so he pulled a blanket over the two of them and fell asleep a few hours later. Jon was the first one up the next morning; so he slid off the couch carefully and headed to the kitchen to attempt to make breakfast. Just as he was getting started he heard the knock on the door. Answering the door; he let his best friend in. He put his finger up to his mouth to tell Joe to keep it down.

"How is she?" Joe asked concerned.

"It was a rough day yesterday; she was brave, now the cops will be looking for Colby. I just can't believe it man; our friend did this to her." Jon shook it off. "She fell asleep with me on the couch last night; she's still sleeping. I was going to wake her when breakfast was done." Jon went back to cracking eggs.

"She fell asleep with you?" Joe couldn't help but grin at his friend. "Kind of like that first night when I walked into your bedroom and you two were all cuddled up together? It was cute; got to tell ya!" Joe laughed.

"Yes, like that; do you mind, she finds it comforting and now since we're seeing each other it's no big deal." Jon responded sounding just slightly annoyed. He looked over and saw the surprised look on his friend's face.

"You two are together? That's great man! I told her before you both left to come here that I knew you loved her. She said she loved you to, suppose it was only a matter of time huh? How did it happen?"

"I asked her out on a proper date; bought her this killer red dress, Joe you should have seen her. She was crazy beautiful! Went out to dinner; took her to this jazz club at the end of the strip. Shared a slow dance; then I kissed her! Next thing I know is that we're back here making out, end up in my bedroom and we had just started; well you know…when she had a flashback of the attack and asked me to get off her. I was so caught up in everything I never heard her, until she shoved me off her and on to the floor and locked herself in the guest bedroom. That's partially how I found out about the rape; Nattie called and after I told her what happened, she told me what had happened. I felt like shit! I do love her and the thought that she was scared I might hurt her in anyway made my stomach turn." Jon started taking his frustrations out on the eggs as he scrambled them.

"I can see why she might have freaked out; but I think she knows you wouldn't hurt her man. She'll probably need some counseling to get over this, but she's got the two of us and Nattie to help her. Colby's ass will go to jail and get what he deserves; hopefully it's a boyfriend named Bubba!" Joe laughed. Jon smiled at him. Neither man noticed the woman stretching in the doorway.

"Morning! Hey Joe; fancy seeing you here, were you just in the neighborhood?" Tasha chuckled and didn't expect the big man coming at her so fast and squeezing her in a hug. "Um...I...can't breathe Joe; loosen the grip a little." Tasha hugged him back. "Thanks for cutting your vacation short and coming here. You didn't have to do that."

"I didn't have to; I wanted to. You're like a sister to me Tasha; and he picked the wrong woman to mess with!" Joe hugged her again. "I got here just in time to! You're new boyfriend here was going to try and poison you with breakfast; or have you forgotten the burnt toast incident?" Joe grinned.

"Ok…ok…I burnt the toast! Ha Ha Ha! Have your laughs. Get over it already." Jon smirked at Joe.

"Good thing I picked up muffins on my way here." Joe smiled at Tasha.

"I love you two guys!" Tasha hugged them both.


	13. Gambling With Everything

It was decided at breakfast that morning that once their vacation was over, Tasha would go with Jon and Joe back on the road. Tasha didn't mind really; it was better than being alone and it made Jon feel better. "So, how are the cops going to find Colby when it's time to serve the warrant?" Joe inquired.

"Now that was an easy thing to arrange; 'Mr. Money in the Bank' isn't about to miss any shows, so I gave the cops a list of shows and cities we'd be in over the next couple of weeks. I think it's fitting he be hauled off for questioning in front of everyone, don't you?" Jon grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "I want everyone to know he had the nerve to hurt a woman like that." He noticed Tasha starting to look uncomfortable. "What's wrong sweetheart?"

"Nothing really; it's just that if they arrest him in front of people in the company, everyone is going to know what he did to me. I'm not sure I'm ready for everyone to know; I'm not feeling very strong, maybe I should just stay in the hotel when you guys go to the arena. No one will know I'm there; I'd be safe." Tasha rambled as she pushed some hair from her face.

"Baby girl; We know you're scared, but you have to take your life back. Every day you hide; he wins! He needs to see you're standing tall, even if it's just an act. You know how stir crazy you got in the suite the last time you were there; that's no way to live. You have two choices; the first is you run and hide, and Colby has the satisfaction of knowing he took away all the joy from your life. The second is that you stand up and face him; giving you the satisfaction of knowing you took all the joy he stole back. You've already started down the second road Hun…you reported him to the cops; can you imagine how small he'll feel as he's being cuffed by the cops only to look up and see you standing there staring him down? I know if I were him; that's when I'd be terrified. Jon and I will be right there with you." Joe looked Tasha in the eye. "You're not a victim anymore Tasha; when you reported him to the cops and stood up for yourself, you became a survivor."

Tasha nodded, "Ok, I can do it. I don't want him to think he won; and I don't want to look back later on and wish I had handled it differently. If you two are going to be there, I'll be ok. I just don't want this to happen to anyone else. Besides, I have to face him eventually in court; I guess it's better that I face him the first time while the cops are there and he's in cuffs." Tasha took a deep breath. "Now can we just talk about something else now? Like how we might spend the last two days of our vacation?" She grinned at the two guys.

"Well we never did take that walk on the strip the other night; we could do that," Jon said smiling. "Go into one of the casinos and let you try your luck; of course we all know you're lucky, cause you got me!" He winked at her and grinned. He was rewarded with a playful slap on the right shoulder. "OWW! That hurt!" Jon whined. Joe rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"You should have heard him whine the night I accidently speared him. He went on and on for hours! He kept asking me if he looked like a target or something. I kept telling him he should have stayed out of the way." Joe laughed. "I looked around the place until I found him a box of tissues."

"HEY! I wasn't crying; it felt like I'd been hit with a Mack truck right in the ribs. It just made my eyes water a little! It's not like you're a small guy; Tasha don't listen to him, he's just trying to make me look like a sissy in front of my girlfriend!" Jon grumbled.

Tasha's head turned towards Jon, "What was that?" She looked very surprised.

"Umm…He's trying to make me look like a sissy in front of my girlfriend?" Jon repeated not grasping what she was asking.

"I'm your girlfriend?" Tasha questioned.

"I thought that was a given; unless you don't want to be my girlfriend, I mean, I took you on a date. I told you I loved you. I just assumed." Jon stammered until he noticed the smile on her face. "Are you just messing with me to?"

"I'm not messing with you, although watching your brain spin for a second was fun. I'd be really happy to be your girlfriend; we just never had a real discussion about it. So…I wasn't going to just assume; I figured if you wanted me to be, you'd say something to me about it. I mean, I knew I wasn't a one night stand." Tasha smiled, walked over to where he was standing and kissed him.

"Well now that it's settled; do you think we could get out of here and do something or do you two need some time by yourselves to make-out ? Joe grinned at the two of them. He managed to dodge the towel that Jon threw at him and laughed. "Guess we know why you went into wrestling and not baseball!"

Tasha and the two men headed out in Jon's car to explore the famous Las Vegas Strip. They parked the car on one end of the strip so they could walk. Tasha was amazed that so many casinos could exist all in one area and still make money. To her it was like having 15 pizza places all on the same street. "You ever been gambling, sweetheart?" Jon asked her as they walked.

"Once; a really long time ago, but it was a smaller casino. It wasn't anywhere close to one of these. I wasn't good at it; lost the money I brought with me in an hour, if that." She laughed. The next thing she knew she was being steered into one of the huge casinos. "Jon, I don't have the money to waste on gambling; you forget I still need to find a place to live."

Jon rolled his eyes at her. "You're not gambling your money; you'll be gambling with mine, and don't even think of arguing about it with me. If you win you can give me half; if you lose it's no big deal." He shrugged at her. "As far as where you are going to live; I imagine you'll be living with me. If you want to get a place of your own; that's fine, just don't feel like it needs to be done by next week." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "If you lose, maybe we can take it out in trade." He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned. Tasha slapped his shoulder again. "Would you cut out doing that?" He laughed.

"Ohhh….poor Jon; is the mean girl beating you up?" Joe laughed until he was almost rolling on the floor.

Jon went to the cashier counter and bought chips; stepping over Joe who was still laughing at his own joke. "Ok Tasha, I'm going to teach you Blackjack. You ready to win some money?" Tasha still looked skeptical, but followed him to a table. He put the chips on the table and started to explain the basic rules to her. A couple hours later; Tasha had actually won money, not much but a couple hundred easy. She was excited; it was fun! Jon and Joe seemed to be just enjoying watching her get excited whenever she won a hand. "Joe, remind me never to teach this girl poker or I just might be screwed!" Jon chuckled.

"You wouldn't be screwed man; if she plays poker like she does blackjack, you'd be rich!" Joe said while smiling at his friends. Jon excused himself for a minute and Tasha got closer to Joe.

"So he probably told you what a disaster our first date turned out to be, huh?" Tasha cringed slightly just talking about it.

"He told me what happened; but that's understandable, he's not upset with you. He was more upset with himself. You two will figure it out together; get counselling to help yourself deal with the trauma and he'll be more aware of what you're feeling. I have no doubt; you'll make it through just fine. Trust me; he's committed to you." Joe answered.

"I know; I'm not beating myself up over it, I just feel bad because it really was a wonderful date before that. I really want to do something for him so he knows I appreciate everything he's done and the perfect date he planned. So I was thinking; maybe one night once we get to the hotel you could leave for a bit, and I could cook him a meal with some wine; maybe some candles. You know; something romantic. You think that is a good idea and if so; are you willing to help out?" Tasha smiled.

"I think that is a very sweet thing to do; and I know he'd love it. He pretends not to know anything about romance; but you know guys. I'd be happy to disappear for the night. I can guarantee you, you'd be the only woman to ever do anything like that for him. Go for it!" Joe smiled back and gave her a quick hug. "I'll even keep him out of the room until you get everything ready."

"Thanks Joe; I appreciate it," Hugging the bigger man back. Jon came back and joined them shortly after they had made the plans. The gambled for an hour more and cashed in the chips. Jon smiled and handed half of her winnings back to her. "I'm not keeping this Jon," she attempted to hand the money back to him. Jon just crossed his arms and shook his head at her.

"I said, you keep half of what you win; I meant it. You won the money; all I did was provide the initial investment." He grinned at her. "Let's go grab some food; I'm starving, and honestly I was getting the feeling that if we stayed at that table any longer that dealer would have been reaching for me under the table."

"Well she would have quite a battle on her hands if she had. I don't share well with others." Tasha grinned. "She was only flirting with you a little. Not like she was going to ask you to marry her."

"Sweetheart, we're in Vegas; home of quickie weddings and even quicker divorces. I'm Dean Ambrose! All the girls want me!" He winked at her and smiled. Tasha rolled her eyes.

"Help me Joe; Jon's giant ego is trying to get me!" Tasha mocked and she went to hide behind Joe. Joe cracked a smile and chuckled with her.


	14. Face to Face

_**A Week Later**_

Jon, Joe and Tasha arrived at the arena the evening of their first day back on the road. They were all very aware that Colby was also somewhere in the arena. Tasha had met with a great counselor earlier that day who had taught her some great relaxation techniques. She was using one of them now to keep from hyperventilating; it was stressful knowing today might be the day she run into him. The two guys turned the corner to get to their locker room and stopped suddenly; Tasha who didn't notice the stop ran right into the wall of muscle in front of her. "Christ! What the...," before she could finish her sentence she looked in front of them. Colby stood there with Glen and Paul; the three men turned when they heard her curse. Tasha's heart stopped beating; well that's what it felt like anyways, she felt paralyzed. Her stomach turned as she watched Colby smirk at her.

"Wow Tasha; I dump your ass less than a month ago and you're already drooling over my former best friends. Classy; but it definitely proves I was right about you, slut." Colby growled. The sudden lurch forward caught his attention. Jon had started forward to get Colby; but Joe held him back. Colby laughed; "Yeah, that's what I thought. Neither of you want a piece of me." Colby was about to hurl another insult at the group but two local cops stepped in front of him.

"Are one of you gentlemen Colby Lopez?" the first cop questioned the three men; looking them all over.

"I'm Colby Lopez officer; but I don't really have time for autographs right now, I have a match to get to." He smiled and produced the same charm he would with any fan. The smile quickly faded as the second cop went behind him and started dragging an arm around to cuff him. "What do you think you're doing? Let go of me!"

"Colby Lopez; you're under arrest for the physical and sexual assault of Ms. Tasha Reynolds. You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney to be present at the time of questioning; if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state…," the first cop continued reading off Colby's Miranda rights. Colby sputtered the entire time; struggling with the cop trying to cuff him.

"BITCH! YOU LYING BITCH! YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS! NO ONE IS GOING TO BELIEVE YOU; YOU LYING SLUT!" Colby screamed at her. Everyone who had been walking through the hallway stopped and was staring at the commotion. Paul stepped up to the first cop and said something that Tasha couldn't hear. The cop produced a paper and showed it to Paul; once he looked it over he calmly handed it back to the cop and stepped away from the group. "Paul! You need to get the company lawyer for me; she's lying…I never touched her; she's just pissed because I broke up with her!" The panic in Colby's voice was evident, he knew he was at least getting booked and questioned.

"They have an arrest warrant Colby; I can't keep them from taking you! As for the company attorneys; they only work for the company, not the superstars. I would suggest you don't say anything else until you get yourself an attorney!" Paul looked at him.

"This is fucking ridiculous! I don't have to force myself on anyone! I have girls lining up down the street! She's just being a vindictive bitch!" He screamed again.

Tasha had heard enough; she snapped, before either man in front of her knew it she had pushed them aside like they weighed nothing at all. She got maybe 3 or 4 steps away from him and lit in, "Guess what Colby? I'm not scared of you or your scumbag friends! I made sure the hospital did a rape kit; you know what that means, you stupid piece of shit? DNA! I'm going to make sure you go to prison; then, I'm going to make sure as many of your friends who took a turn raping me to go to prison with you! You should have made sure you killed me that morning, asshole! You're a small man Colby; and I don't mean your height! Go ahead; threaten me again, like you did as I was trying to limp out of that hotel suite! Let Paul here listen to tell me again how he and the company were going to protect your rapist ass! No? Nothing? Jon was right; the company isn't going to protect you! As it is their going to be dragged into court because they paid for that suite; I'm guessing even if they don't find enough evidence to send you to prison, you won't have your precious job anymore! Have fun rotting in your cell; the only title you'll be holding for a while will be the title of 'Prison Bitch'!" She spat back with fire in her eyes. Jon and Joe were getting a little concerned she might actually take a swing at him and started to pull her back. "Let go of me; I'm done with him, he's not worth anymore of my time today! See you in court!" Tasha backed off and slammed the door to Jon and Joe's locker room open, storming in.

Jon smirked, "Damn Colby! I'd say she not only had you by the balls; but she damn near just tore 'em off and shoved them down your throat!" He nudged Joe and followed his very pissed off girlfriend. They entered their locker room to find Tasha pacing trying to calm down. He knew it wasn't a wise idea; but he decided to joke with her anyways, "Hey killer! Feeling better?" He took a cautious step back. Joe decided he would just take a seat on the couch.

"Actually; I do feel a little better. I at least feel like I put up more of a fight than I was able to that day." Tasha responded after her breathing slowed. "Sorry I plowed right through you both…damn! It was like going through a brick wall." Tasha gave them a half smile.

"Joe? Do me a favor would you? Remind me at a later date why I shouldn't forget an anniversary or a birthday. At the very least, be sure to look for my body if I come up missing!" Jon grinned and pulled her to him. "You want a job? I'm pretty sure after that, Paul would hire you just to keep the two of us out of trouble!" He hugged and kissed her. Their public display of affection was cut short by a knock on the locker room door and Paul's head carefully poking in. "Don't worry Paul; I think you're safe." Jon chuckled.

"Tasha. I just wanted you to know that if we had known; he would have been out of here immediately. I'm sorry that it happened to you; if you need _**anything**_, you let me know and we'll take care of it. Of course, he is allowed his day in court; but until then, he's suspended from the roster without pay. I'm going to meet with Vince; but I'm going to say it's pretty safe to assume, he'll be fired regardless of the trial outcome. You two ok to compete; or would you prefer to take a personal day?"

"We're good I think. Now that he's out of the building; everyone can breathe and relax." Jon answered for the two of them. "You good sweetheart?"

"I'm good babe! Get out there do your job." She smirked. Jon chuckled in response.


	15. Trust Earned and Given

The day after Colby was arrested Tasha decided she wanted tonight to be the evening she made the dinner for Jon. Joe had agreed to keep him busy all day so that she could shop and get the dinner ready. Tasha enjoyed cooking and had sense she was younger; she hadn't had a chance to do it often because when Colby was on the road, it was just her at home. She decided she would make a stuffed chicken breast with garlic mashed potato and a garden salad. Tasha made everything from scratch; she was hoping he would like it. While she was out shopping; she grabbed a bottle of red wine, which the store clerk said would go well with her menu. She set the table nicely and lit some candles right before he was due back to the room. Her final preparation was to put on the red dress he had bought her; put some make-up on and style her hair. She heard the door to the room open and started getting so nervous, Joe had told her no one had ever done this before; so she had no idea how he would react to her act of kindness and thanks.

"Sweetheart, what is all this?" Jon called out to her; he was speechless when she came out from the other room. She was as beautiful as she had been the night of their first date.

"I made dinner for us; well I really made it for you. I wanted to do something special for you to thank you for being there for me during all this and loving me." She walked over and kissed Jon deeply; after a few minutes she pulled back and smiled. "You're just in time, everything was just finished. I hope you like it." Tasha took his hand and led him over to a chair.

"You made me a meal; like you cooked it yourself and did the whole candlelight thing for me?" Jon was shocked and he was having a hard time wrapping his mind around a woman doing something like this for him. She was amazing, beautiful, smart, and she loved him. "I don't know what to say! Tasha, you didn't need to do this for me; I was here for you because I love you. Well, I guess we better sit down and eat huh?" Jon offered to pull out her chair for her; he figured that it was the polite thing to do. Now he was the one who was nervous. They both started eating; he couldn't believe how good everything was! Much better than room service or any restaurant she could have picked; and the fact she made it herself, it meant that much more. "It's delicious Tasha, thank you so much for this." Jon said.

"I'm so happy you like it; I wasn't sure what your favorite meal was or I would have made that for you." Tasha smiled and lifted her wine glass, "I think we should toast to Colby's arrest; but more importantly, to us getting to know each other and dating." Jon grinned; but raised his glass and toasted with her.

Once dinner was finished; Tasha gathered the plates and headed to the kitchenette, loading them into the little dishwasher. Jon came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Thanks for dinner!" He kissed her neck and enjoyed the small moan that escaped her lips; the way her head tilted to the side giving him more access to it. Tasha turned around and kissed him deeply; their tongues exploring each other's mouths. Tasha wrapped one arm around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. He ran one hand slowly down her back; causing her to shiver in his arms. "Tasha, I want to make love to you. I know you're scared; we can go really slowly and if you need me to stop, you just tell me and I will. Do you trust me?" Jon's voice was raspy and low; it was so sexy to her.

Tasha shook her head, "I trust you Jon; let's go to the bedroom." Tasha took his hand as he led her to the bedroom they shared. He shut and locked the door behind them; in case Joe came back to the suite. He walked behind her; running both hands down her arms; sliding one back to pull the zipper of the dress down. Jon smiled and eased the dress down until it pooled around her feet. He helped her step out of it; picked up the dress and hung it neatly on a hanger. She smiled at him.

"God Tasha; you really are so fucking beautiful! If this is the reward for making it through all the crappy things that ever happened to me, it was all worth it!" Jon said as he took in the sight of the woman in front of him. He would barely be a man if he didn't notice and grin at the fact she had opted to not wear a bra or panties under the dress. "Looks like someone might have been planning desert maybe?" He gave her a mischievous grin that made her giggle. He moved closer to her and moved behind her again; moving his hands around to her breasts while kissing her neck. He really wanted to do this right for her; if he had his way, there would be plenty of time for them to explore more animalistic sex. Right now his sole purpose on the planet was to really focus on foreplay and what would please her. Lightly squeezing her two breasts in his hands; he slowly rubbed and teased her nipples with his fingers, getting the appropriate moan from her. He continued until they were hard as pebbles; before moving to the front of her and kissing a breast, sucking a nipple into his mouth and running his tongue around it. He moved to the other breast; paying it the same attention. "Tasha, are you ok with lying on the bed? I promise I won't move on top of you right now."

Tasha moaned and could only shake her head 'Yes' to his question. She walked to the bed with him and they lie down together. Jon lay off to the side of her; letting his fingers trace imaginary designs on her stomach as he moved his head to kiss her passionately. Tasha kissed him back with the same intensity and need. Jon moved his mouth to lightly suck her neck and kiss up to her earlobe. She moaned as he gently nibbled it.

"I'm going to move my hand down slowly and use my thumb to tease your clit; I want you to look me in the eyes while I do it; so you know it's just me. If you start to panic, and need me to stop; just say so. Ok?" He whispered in her ear softly.

"O-Ok Jon." Tasha managed to whisper back as she locked her eyes on his. Jon's beautiful blue eyes stared back at her; filled with lust and love. She felt her stomach tremble as his hand started its journey downward. Her body jumped just a little when his thumb made contact with her clit; causing him to pause and ask if she were ok. "Yes, I'm ok Jon; I promise." She kept her eye contact with him as he slowly started to press and rub her clit in a circle. "Ohhhhh…Jon!" Tasha moaned. It was all he could do to not move faster; every moan and whimper she was making was his undoing. Jon had to focus hard on Tasha. He continued to work her clit expertly; moving in circles just a little faster. Her breathing faster and shallower. Jon kept his eyes on her; teasing her now swollen, sensitive clit. He moved a little faster as her hips started to squirm against the bed.

"Cum for me Tasha; I want to see how beautiful you look when you orgasm." It wasn't very much longer before she cried out his name and came for the first time for Jon. She was so sexy like that; he wanted to make her look like that a lot more tonight. "Mmmm….so sexy Tasha! Did you enjoy that?" Jon grinned at her already knowing the answer.

"Oh god Jon! Yes, it did; it felt amazing!" She panted for air. "Jon, I want to make you feel just as good; lay on your back for me." She helped him undress; smiling as she tossed his black, wife-beater across the room. Pressing a hand against his chest so he was back against the mattress again; she grinned at him as she looked his naked body over. "Mmmm…very sexy babe!" she purred. Tasha began placing kisses all over his chest; slowly moving downward. She kissed down his right thigh; avoiding his cock, smiling as he moaned. Licking back up his inner thigh and moving to kiss down his left thigh; again carefully avoiding his manhood.

"Fuck Tasha!" Jon groaned as she licked back up his left thigh. It nearly pushed him over the edge when she ran her tongue around the head of his penis. Closing his eyes tight; willing himself not to cum yet. Taking him in her mouth and slowly sucking him. Tasha ran her tongue along the shaft and then took him down as far as she could. She started to bob her head up and down; looking up at him, realizing he was watching her intently. "Oh god! You're going to be the death of me!" Jon moaned. Tasha lavished the head again with her tongue as pre-cum leaked." She couldn't believe how hard Jon was; Colby was not nearly as impressive as Jon was. That fact actually helped in a way getting her to distinguish that he was not Colby. Her head bobbed faster and she sucked harder. "Tasha! I'm going to cum sweetheart…if you don't want to…," Jon was trying to warn her; but she stayed focused and reached down to rub his full balls. Jon couldn't take it anymore; he moaned loudly as he started releasing his load into her mouth. Tasha swallowed every drop; grinning at him as she licked her lips. "Shit sweetheart; if you want to just do that occasionally, you never have to cook another meal ever!" Jon chuckled; running his hand through her hair and pulling her down for a kiss.

"Jon…I think I'm ready, make love to me!" Tasha whispered. "Just please be gentle." Kissing Jon again.

"You know I love you Tasha; I'll take care of you." Jon reached out to stroke her face and moved so he was in between her legs. "You let me know how you're doing ok." Tasha nodded to him; biting her lip as she felt him at her opening. He pushed just the head inside; letting her adjust, using his thumb to rub her clit. As she moaned; he pushed in about 2 inches, Tasha nodded to him to let him know she was ok. Each time he would push in, Jon gave her pussy time to adjust to his size. Paying special attention to her clit; hoping to increase her pleasure. He started making slow strokes, working her g spot. Tasha moaned louder; moving her hips to the same rhythm, taking more of him inside her. With one final push every inch of his cock was buried in her. "Oh god, you're pussy is perfect Tasha! Are you ok?" Jon moaned.

"Yesses…I'm better than good baby; don't stop." Tasha moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist. Urging him to start moving again; "You feel so good Jon!" She worked her hips in time with his thrusts; the sound of skin slapping skin filled the room. Jon started to increase the speed of his thrusts; the two of them moaning. Jon had slept with women before; he enjoyed sex. This was so different; so much better. Their bodies fused together; unable to tell where one ended and the other began. Somewhere in the course of making love, it had stopped being gentle. Tasha clawed her nails into his back causing him to hiss. "Fuck Jon…I'm so close; cum with me Jon!" Tasha's voice ragged, and breathless.

"No problem sweetheart; I'm not going to last much longer!" Jon panted. Both of them covered in a sheen of sweat; he felt her hot, wet tunnel start to spasm. He grabbed her head; pulling her into a kiss that swallowed up both of their cries as they came together. Feeling her inner muscles gripping him tightly until the last wave of their orgasms had past. Jon stayed buried in her; he rolled them both onto their sides, kissing the exposed side of her neck. Neither could manage to form words yet; but a realization hit Jon so hard, it almost hurt him to breathe. _This beautiful, amazing woman just put every bit of her trust in me and allowed me to aid in her healing process._ He held her tightly; working his mouth up to her ear. "I Love You Tasha!"


	16. Epilogue

_**Epilogue:**_

"So Jon, what do you think?" Joe looked at his friend. The two men were out of their league in this place; two men who had no problem taking punches and hits as their careers, had no clue how to handle standing in front of this counter in a jewelry store. It was comical really; Jon looked at the rings the sales girl had pulled out for him and looked at his friend, running his hands through his hair.

"I don't know! They all look like something she would like. Which one do I pick?" Jon looked over the options again. He should be able to do this; he expected to come in and just have one jump out at him screaming 'Tasha'! He took a deep breath. "Ok! I'll take this one right here!" The sales girl smiled at the nervous man picked up the one he had chosen.

"It's beautiful and I'm sure she will love it. It's the one I would want; simple, beautiful, no big elaborate bells and whistles. To me it just says, 'I love you'," she said trying to help. "I'm not supposed to point this out to customers; but if for any reason she isn't completely in love with this particular ring, bring her in and we can exchange it within 15 days of the purchase. I don't think that will be a problem though! Any man this nervous about picking the right ring; clearly loves her very much and she'll think it's the most beautiful and precious object in the world!"

Jon understood a certain amount of what the young woman was saying was purely a sales tactic; but it did make him feel slightly better. He just wanted everything to be perfect. He took the small blue box from the sales girl and thanked her for her assistance. He somehow managed to ignore his friend who was chuckling and saying something about how he looked like he was walking to his execution. So what; he was nervous, that was normal right? All men got nervous when they were going to propose. He didn't feel like he was going to an execution. He wanted to marry Tasha; she made him happier than he had been in his whole life. He was just nervous. If she said no, that would kill him; that would be his execution. He had already had people he loved walk away from him. _**No! Stopping thinking like that; she isn't going to walk away. She's already told you that a million times! Stop!**_ Jon gave himself a mental ass-kicking; which came to an abrupt stop when his friend stopped in his tracks and looked at him.

"So; how exactly are you planning to ask her anyways?" Joe asked as if he suddenly felt sick about the whole thing to.

"Christ! I don't know…I finally got the courage to buy the ring; I hadn't thought about the next part yet! I probably should take her out right? Someplace nice and do the whole flowers and wine and dinner thing right? Definitely have to get on one knee; that's special, tradition. It needs to be something she can tell all her girlfriends about and they can squeal and jump up and down about it together or whatever. UGH! I am going to fuck this up, man!" Jon frowned when Joe started laughing at him. "What?"

"I'm not sure it's really going to matter what you do, man. Maybe you're over thinking things. She loves you; she's already told you that, she accepts you the way you are. I think, instead of getting all out of control; and doing something over the top, maybe you just do whatever pops in your head. I mean she loves a guy whose 'go to' meal is scrambled eggs and toast and still manages to burn the toast. So maybe bigger isn't better. Hey! Wait! Where are you going?" Joe watched as his friend took off like someone had lit a fire under him. He had no idea he had just given Jon the idea for his proposal.

Jon rushed home. He was glad that he and Joe had gone ring shopping right after hitting the gym this morning. He walked quietly through his house in Vegas; opened the door to their bedroom and saw her still asleep in bed. This was perfect! He closed the door silently and started getting things ready. They had created a happy routine since being together; he would get up early and go to the gym. When he got back, he would kiss her good morning and hit the shower; she would surprise him with breakfast.

_**What is that smell? Oh god! Again? How does he always manage to do this?**_ Tasha woke processing the horrible smell that was wafting into the bedroom from the kitchen. She had told him she was happy to make breakfast all the time; yet on occasions, he still insisted he could do it and it turned out the same each time. Tasha chuckled and climbed out of bed; making her way to the kitchen. There he was; looking flustered as usual; scrambling eggs while a pile of black, charred toast sit on a plate at the table. "Good morning baby!" She laughed as he jumped. "Made breakfast for us huh?"

"I am bound and determined to get this right!" Jon said sounding beside himself. "At least the eggs come out right!" He mumbled, splitting them between two plates before setting them on the table. "I think we need a new toaster!"

Tasha grinned at her boyfriend, "This is the third new toaster in two months Jon, it's not the toaster. It's the thought that counts." She started eating the eggs on her plate as he joined her at the table.

"Aren't you going to try the toast? I mean; maybe it's not as bad as usual?" Jon offered looking at her with hopeful eyes. He watched her look at the top piece; which was as close to charcoal as you could get. He pouted at her. "Come on….I tried!"

"Ok. Maybe you are right; maybe it's not that bad!" Tasha was pretty sure it was; but he was indeed trying. She picked up the first piece of toast cautiously; then saw the next piece. Her mouth dropped open. The second piece was perfect! It wasn't even burnt a little bit; the most perfect golden brown piece of toast she'd ever seen! To most people, being so excited about a piece of toast probably seemed ridiculous; but Tasha could have just about cried. She smiled and looked at him. "It's amazing! I love it! I love you and your burnt toast! I think you may have mastered it here; probably should have stopped while you were ahead." She laughed. Tasha picked up the piece of perfect toast and froze. A blue box was sitting on the next piece. Her eyes widened as she stared at it; she glanced up at him, then back at the blue box.

"I think you probably should take that to; it's blocking the next piece of toast." Jon said quietly. He watched her eye the box like it might jump to life and attack them both. He realized as she picked it up that he was holding his breath, and took a quick one; only to hold it again as she opened the box. It donned on him that this was the time he was supposed to get on one knee; but she hadn't said anything yet. She just sat there staring at the simple gold band with the diamond in it.

"Wh...What is this?" She stammered. That was a stupid question! She knew what it was; it was a beautiful engagement ring! She just couldn't believe what it was. She looked up just in time to see Jon nearly fall out of the chair and end up on one knee beside her. He was nervous; the man who wasn't afraid of anything; was clearly terrified right now, she wanted to chuckle, but she managed to resist.

"Tasha; I love you. I know I'm not perfect, I'm a smartass most times, I don't often know the right things to say and generally I can't make toast to save my own life. I do know, that every day I wake up next to the most beautiful woman, I've ever seen and for some reason; she not only puts up with me, but says she loves me to. I've wanted a lot of things in my life and I've been pretty lucky to work hard enough to get most of them. What I would really like; more than any of it is if you would marry me!" Jon stared at her and even got teary-eyed himself as Tasha started to cry.

"Yes! A million times, Yes! You are crazy and I love you; so Yes! I will marry you!

_**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has been following this story. So? What do you think? Do you all want a sequel?**_


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